


Celestial Light

by DD_Dreamer



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark, F/M, Original Character(s), Out of Character, Spoilers, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-06-25 16:01:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15644130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DD_Dreamer/pseuds/DD_Dreamer
Summary: Feeling despondent over her teammates for protecting her, Lucy takes time off from Fairy Tail to better hone her celestial magic. However, her training goes awry when she senses a deadly presence. Somewhere, Acnologia stalks, ready to kill her but his actions differ from his intentions. Despite contrarieties between the two, they have bigger problems to face from other mages.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Important Notes: There are changes in the Tartaros Arc. One, Acnologia doesn't fight Igneel. He doesn't appear during the demons' fights. Two, Fairy Tail never disbands. And three, Lucy leaves Fairy Tail temporarily to train, not Natsu and Happy.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. I only own OCs.

Lucy Heartfelia walked through the meadows by herself. The sun was shining brightly as her blond hair shimmered. She wore a simple white dress with white sandals. A belt with her keys wrapped around her waist. She didn't mind the specks of dirt that got between her toes as she dragged her feet along the grass. There was a point she left a patch of grassy area to walk through piles of dirt. She continued on, making a trail for anyone to travel if they would dare follow her. But no one did. She was by herself with a mission in mind. Lucy was going to train to call multiple spirits on the battlefield. She was tired of relying on Natsu Dragneel, Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster for fighting her battles. They were growing tremendously in strength, while she remained weak. Or at least she thought she was weak until a discussion with her golden haired spirit, Loke, made her think otherwise.

Lucy was not weak. Her approach to fighting was different from her group members. She wasn't a physical fighter like Natsu, Erza or Gray. Her strength lie elsewhere. And Lucy was leaving Fairy Tail with the money she saved to train and find her position on Team Natsu. It was a promise she made to Loke and herself that she wouldn't return to Fairy Tail without finding her true strength in herself. Thus, Master Makarov was shocked when she knocked on his door one morning and announced her vacation from Fairy Tail. She requested him not to tell the other members of Fairy Tail for the fear that they would search for her. He agreed he would tell them when they asked for her, which would give her enough time to make her way to the train station and head for the farthest town away from Magnolia.

Besides, she was tired of being Natsu's shadow. She had to watch his fights from the sidelines and use supportive magic to assist him when she could. She wanted to be more helpful to her teammates, even if it meant to use her body as a shield. More than anything she wanted to be able to stand on her two feet without having Natsu, Erza or Gray fight alongside her.

"It's going to be a hard journey," Loke admonished her as he appeared next to her from the spirit world. "Most of the time you 'll experience pain. The training might be hard that-"

"That I will wish I was dead," she finished for him. "Then, bring it on. I refuse to be a bystander on the battlefield." Lucy raised her head and straightened her shoulders as she stopped in the middle of nowhere. She didn't care to scan the horizon or to glimpse how the sun rays angled down on Loke casting a saintly look. Her mind was made up as she sat down on the floor crossed legged, dirtying her white dress. She placed hands on her knees and she closed her eyes.

"Lucy, I don't know if this is a good idea. Maybe we should go somewhere closer to town," Loke said as he looked around him. He squatted down on the ground next to her. "You could try mediating somewhere where we're not alone. I feel uneasy with us being here."

"Then stay with me," she whispered. Loke almost missed her words.

"I won't be able to stay with you for long," he replied.

"It's okay if my magic is not sufficient to sustain you being in the earth world."

Loke shook his head as he realized that his mistress was becoming her stubborn self. She was determined to train her body and mind. But if something terrible were to happen to her such as she was to collapse from exhaustion or lose herself in meditation, then there were no human beings to save her. Only he and Virgo, her other spirit, would be able to return her to society.

"Are you willing to sacrifice your life to become stronger?" he asked her with a frown.

Cracking one eye open, she peered at him from long blond lashes. Loke could see his reflection in her brown eye. "Yes."

Nodding his head, he sat down crossed legged next to her. He placed one hand on his knee while he raised his other hand to remove his sunglasses. Lucy opened her other eye as she tilted her head to gaze at him speculatively. "What are you doing?"

"I will sit by your side and help you train because it was I who talked you into doing this mission. Besides, if you're determined to get stronger, I will help you."

Lucy pink lips curved into a huge smile. The smile took Loke's breath away that he momentarily forgot to breathe. For a moment, he wished he wasn't Lucy's spirit, but a regular human who could have a relationship with her. He knew that a relationship between human and spirit was impossible. He was going to live forever and she would eventually age and, sadly, die.

"Okay, how do we begin?" she questioned him excitedly. She clapped both hands together as she gave him a hopeful expression.

Lifting a hand to his chin, Loke glanced up at the sky as if searching for the answer to some long riddle. Hitting his fist in his hand, he looked at Lucy with brightness shining in his pale eyes. "What is your goal? What do you know about how you fight?"

Lucy paused while she thought about the answers to Loke's questions. "I want to be able to summon more than one spirit on the battle field as my goal. I know that I'm not a physical fighter like Natsu, Gajeel, Erza, Gray, Laxus or the others. I think I am better with fighting from the sidelines."

"That's where you're wrong," Loke said. "When we fought against Bickslow, you fought alongside me as a partner. You didn't cower on the sidelines. You withstood Gajeel's blows, you have the ability to unlock gates from different worlds. Lucy, you are something special."

His words caused Lucy to inhale a deep breath. She never saw herself as Loke described her. She always thought she was worthless next to the other fighters in Fairy Tail. But Loke made her sound strong and cool.

"If I were to think about how you fight, I would say you're more of a strategist. You're resourceful because you have more than one type of element to fight with." Loke put his hand under his chin as he stared at the meadow. "Aquarius is a water bearer and she can only be summoned in areas with water. Taurus is a strong minotaur who is a physical fighter. Cancer is crab spirit who attacks and cut hair with scissors. You can say he's a physical fighter too. Virgo is a maid, who digs tunnels and is able to fight opponents using her chains. Sagittarius is a man wearing horse who has great skill in archery. I have the ability to magic regulus for fights. Mostly I fight using my fists. Aries utilizes wool to relax her opponents and render them useless in fights. Scorpio uses sand magic by blasting great amounts of sand from his stinger. Capricorn is an expert with hand-to-hand combat and has enhanced strength. He's a physical fighter as well. Although, if we can get him to learn his ability to use his lost magic, he may be able to possess his opponents. Gemini can flawlessly transform into anyone, copying their abilities and knowing what the person thinks. Crux is a human cross that is an archive containing information on celestial mages and their spirits. Horologium is able to heal major skin deficiencies, can shield and endure rough climates. Lyra can sing beautiful songs based on emotions and requests. Plue is known to be quick on his feet and he dances fast. Pyxis is a compass that has the ability to tell directional references. Lastly, the spirit king, the strongest spirit, is known to fight using a blade. Am I missing anything?"

Lucy was gaping at the amount of information he shared about her spirits. Listening to how he described their abilities, Lucy formed different strategies to use them in battles in her mind. However, there was one important detail he missed. "I can't summon Aquarius anymore. I broke down her golden key to be able to summon the spirit king."

"You're right," Loke confirmed. "She was your mother's former spirit as well."

Lucy nodded sadly. Tears began to form in her eyes and Loke moved to embraced her, apologizing for reminding her of painful memories. When she was okay, she lightly pushed against his chest so he would pull back. He pulled away and ran a hand through his spiky hair. Lucy smiled as she wiped away the tears. "That's why I'm here. I'm going to train harder than before."

He nodded his head. "From the long list of your spirits, what do you realize about them?"

"I mostly have physical fighters," Lucy answered.

"And understanding that each and every one of them has a contract with you, you have to decide in which battle they can fight without disrupting the rules in their contract. This is hard for any celestial mage to do. Although you have fourteen spirits and have many options, choosing the right one becomes a challenge."

"Yes, it is," Lucy agreed.

"This is what makes you different from the other guild members in Fairy Tail. You have a wider base of attacks to use than them while most of them are limited to using one element. You can use more than one element on the field if given a chance. Therefore-"

"I have to rely on mental magic. If I have mental stamina to call more than one spirit on the battlefield, then they could combine their abilities to take out their foe," Lucy said excitedly. She bounced in joy from her seat while clapping her hands together.

Loke shook his head at her childish antics when he realized something important. "But if you want to build on mental magic, then you have to give up on being physically strong," he replied, cutting off her excitement.

Lucy stopped jumping at the thought of not being able to fight with others. "Are you saying that I won't be able to fight with you or the other spirits?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You can only have one or the other. You won't be able to master both abilities in a short amount of time. Most celestial mages are mentalists than physical fighters. Since they have the ability to summon spirits, their spirits are the ones to deal the damage," he answered truthfully.

Shifting closer to him meant that Lucy had to crawl on her hands and knees until her face was mere inches from his. His face flushed with color and he averted his attention to the clouds in the sky.

"Do you think I have it in me to be a fighter and answer me truthfully?" Lucy placed her soft hands on his face and gently moved his head until he was eye level with her.

"Honestly, it pains me to see someone hurting you," he said while staring into her brown eyes. "I think it's better if you summon your spirits to fight on your behalf."

"And what if my foe is able to get my keys or hurt me by dodging you?"

"These are weaknesses we are going to train so it won't happen." Lucy nodded her head as she pulled back, causing Loke to exhale a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Okay, so where do we begin?" she asked him. Glancing down at her dress, he noticed the stains on it. Lifting his hand, he almost began brushing the dirt of the white seams when he realized how inappropriately close he was to touching her. Instead, he lifted his hand to drag along his hair while he laughed.

"Let's try meditating. Your level depends how you will be able to control your magic."

Again, Lucy nodded her head. She sat down crossed leg and placed her hands on top of her knees. She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. She called upon her magic from deep within her. In her stomach, she felt a tingling sensation that grew bigger and bigger. It felt like more butterflies were expanding in her stomach and were traveling to tips of her toes and fingers. She slowly exhaled a breath and the muscles in her body relaxed. Loke saw a bright light glowing from her core. As she immersed herself with meditation, he noticed the light got stronger until the beam could rival the sun. He took a deep breath as the light engulfed her form, casting a halo and making her look like the angel she was. Slowly and steadily, he got to his feet and stepped back from her and released his breath. He continued to marvel at the lovely sight that he never sensed someone else watching from the distance.

oOo

Leaving the forest to stroll through the meadow, the dragon shift shaper inhaled a deep breath into his lungs. He rarely let himself enjoy nature in his human form but today was one of those rare days he decided to bask in the sun as one. He exhaled a breath as his enhanced hearing could make out the high pitches from the birds soaring above him; he could feel and hear the soft whispers of the breeze and swaying whispers of the leaves and grass. Also, he heard the crunching sound of the grass beneath his feet. Flexibly rolling out his shoulders, he closed his eyes to feel the warmth of the sun against his face. A slow smile spread along his lips until he felt something strange against his senses.

Who would dare enter his territory without his permission? He growled low in his throat as his peaceful moment came to an abrupt halt. Crouching, he opened his five senses to intruders who dared to enter his lair. Two magical auras hit him.

So, there were human vermin on his territory. They could use magic unlike most human abominations who lived to eat, drink and breathe and destroy everything. Parasites like them gave dragons a bad name. They believed dragons to be monsters because they destroyed their homes and burned crops. The actual truth was humans were increasing like a plague and they were the reason that dragons scattered and hid from the earth world. He was not one those idiots who wanted peace with the pests. He viewed them as insects who need to be crushed before they expanded their territory in the world.

All humans were selfish, greedy, insolent, and arrogant bastards. He grinned widely, showing sharp white teeth as he recalled the day he played with a small group of humans on Tenrou Island. He blocked their escape route, heard their cries of despair as he lashed out with his wings on their puny bodies. Four of them were suppose to be dragon slayers and he easily took them out without batting an eyelash. They combined different attacks and all he felt were feathers hitting his solid scales. He laughed aloud as he used his dragon roar to erase them permanently from the world. Stupid humans had no choice but to hold their hands together as if the little action was going to save their lives. He shook his head. Maybe he ought to give the simpletons the same treatment.

The dragon shape shifter, known as Acnologia, walked quietly toward the two auras. He could hear one of them had a melodious voice. If he didn't know any better, he might have become entranced with the tone. The melodic voice lifted to a point it sounded like bells, than lowered to whispers and he found himself moving quietly and quickly toward the voice. Another voice was rougher and sounded deeper. He growled at the distasteful voice, picking it as his first victim to destroy.

He smiled darkly as he was gathering his magical energy around his lithe form. But as he moved closer to the two auras, two things made him stop in his tracks. One, the auras differed greatly. He could sense one was a human while the other one was not physically part of the earth world. He frowned as he discerned both presences. One aura almost floored him as he never felt such pure energy radiating through his lands. It seemed so calm, peaceful and angelic. Acnologia never knew a human could have such a wonderful presence. Raising a hand to his head, he shook it until his long pale hair brushed against his face. Narrowing his eyes, he zoomed his magical energy on the other one and frowned. The other presence was a spirit from a different world. Closing his eyes, he could hear their voices. One voice sounded feminine while the other one sounded masculine. The one that hypnotized him was the feminine voice. Frowning, he wondered when was the last time he was interested in a female. He couldn't remember since he thought most of the dragons and insects were under him.

Deciding to shield his magic from the two invaders, he observed them using his draconic senses. The next sense caused him to clench his fists. The female smelled wonderful. It reminded him of vanilla laced with lavender. He closed his eyes to remember the last time he smelled something so delicious. Would she taste as good as she smells? He wondered to himself and almost slapped himself for having such disturbed thoughts about a petty human.

The other presence backed away from the angelic one, and Acnologia felt how his muscles stiffened. The feminine magical aura raised to a high level he never felt before from any human. She had high levels of magic in her. If she were to be a tool used as a magical source, the one feeding from her energy can feed from it in days and that was unusual task to do from a human.

Out of curiosity, he moved closer to inspect the two forms. Straining his eyes, he could see them from fifty feet away whereas they won't spot him with their dull senses. He smiled evilly as he realized he could spiral some his magic at them and destroy them in an instant. But what fun would there be in killing them instantly? He preferred to play with his prey before going in for the final kill like he did with the insects on Tenrou Island seven years ago.

His smile turned into a wider grin as he lowered himself on one knee and continued to assess the two figures in his terrain. He would let them live for today. Maybe he could observe them, learn a one thing or two before killing them. Liking the idea, he shielded his presence and settled himself comfortably on the grass for the long wait.

oOo

The pain was excruciating as Lucy felt her muscles stiffening in her body. She had a bad feeling that when her training was over for the day, she won't be able to move a muscle and she would have to rely on Virgo's assistance with making a campsite. Her loyal spirit would stay the whole night to make sure she was safe. And Lucy hated to have her spirits worry about her. Her goal for training was to make her stronger so she could stand on equal footing with her spirits, even if it meant that she would be a magical source for them. The meditating was becoming unbearable. Her magical aura felt like it was splitting her body in half. Her arms and legs were cramped as she tried to endure summoning her magic for the past eight hours. Sweat was dripping down her face and body. Luckily, she wore a different outfit provided to her by Virgo from the celestial world. Lately, Virgo was the one who took care of her personal needs while Loke and Capricorn spent time training her.

"You can stop meditating now, my lady," Capricorn commanded. Letting out a breath, she ungracefully collapsed on the ground. Her body felt like dead weights as she was lying on her face. Loke popped out from the spiritual world to check on her. He knelt next to her as he applied gentle pressure on her arms before shifting her to lie on her back. She moaned in the back of her throat. Her breathing came out in pants. Loke brushed some of the blond locks away from her sweaty face.

"She's been training for the past four days. Will she be alright?" he asked the other spirit who was watching her exhausted state.

"Yes," Capricorn answered. "She's getting better with sustaining her magic for a long period of time. If she were to call on two spirits, let's say Horologium and Gemini for a battle, she would have sufficient amount of magical energy to keep them on the field for more than an hour."

"What if they were hit with a deadly combo from their enemy?" Loke questioned as he furrowed his eyebrows. He positioned Lucy's hands to her sides to make her comfortable.

"They won't disappear from one blow, if that's the answer you're looking for. They should be able to withstand multiple hits because our lady's magic will sustain them and us."

"And how long do you think it will take her to be able to summon many of us on the battlefield?"

"From what I observe in her training so far, she has vastly improved with gathering magical energy and being able to hold it in her core for long periods of time. If she continues with this vigorous training, she will be capable to summon all of us at once for no more than a half-an-hour."

Loke breathed in deeply from Capricorn's estimation. He gazed at his mistress with awe. "Is that even possible?"

"From her tenacity, determination and love for us, anything is possible. I have never seen another celestial mage with her abilities," Capricorn replied as he kneeled before his mistress. "But she is a human and she has needs. We need to take better care of her because if she continues this type of training, she may die."

"Yes," Loke agreed. "She has put too much stress on her body."

Another golden flash appeared, signifying to the other spirits of Virgo's arrival. The materials to make a camp was lying next to her. Dressed in her usual garments, which consisted of a maid's uniform and chains dangling from her wrists, she approached her mistress with a hot bowl of soup and a spoon in her hands. Briefly, she looked at Capricorn and Loke and nodded her head at them. The quiet exchange between them notified to the male spirits that they were to setup the campsite. Loke moved to make a tent while Capricorn shifted to make a fire from the flints and wood Virgo was able to provide. When both of them were finished, Virgo shooed the men. Virgo raised Lucy's head into her lap and spoon fed her the soup. When Lucy finished her soup, Virgo gently placed Lucy's head back on the ground. She heard her mistress' moans from pain and dutifully, she placed the empty bowl on the side.

"My princess, I need to you summon Aries to help me change your clothes and to provide you with soft wool to sleep on tonight," she said. She leaned down and gently took Lucy's keys. She located Aries and held the key in Lucy's hand. Quietly, Lucy said the chant and Aries popped next to them.

The pink haired girl stared at her mistress and gasped at her. "I'm sorry," she muttered before bowing to both of them.

"It's not your fault. Our mistress wants to get stronger for us," Virgo reassured the gentle spirit, which was something she didn't do for just anyone. Most of the time she was stoic but witnessing how their wonderful mistress wanted to become stronger on their behalf, Virgo's compassionate side began to reveal itself. Also, Aries always blamed herself when she didn't do anything and seeing their mistress in such a helpless state worried Aries. Aries believed she wasn't strong enough to protect her mistress and the training was due to her inabilities to perform successfully on the battlefield.

Aries bowed her head in shame as she heard whimpers coming from her mistress. "I'm sorry for not being more helpful."

Virgo put a hand on Aries shoulder and shook her head. "It's not yours or anyone's fault. And you are being helpful to her. Our princess knows she has our support and that all she needs to complete her training."

Aries nodded her head at Virgo's comforting words. "Now, let's get her dressed for bed. She has another long day ahead of her." Aries followed Virgo's lead in preparing Lucy to sleep comfortably in the tent. When they were finished, Virgo gave Aries the permission to slip back into the celestial world but Aries shook her head.

"I'm sorry but I want to stay with you to help protect our princess," Aries replied with a little determination. She raised her head in the air as she took her seat next to the maid spirit.

Virgo's lips twisted into one of her rare smiles. "Okay. She will really appreciate it." Little did they know that someone was continuously observing them and waiting for the right moment to strike at their beloved mistress.

oOo

Three days later Lucy found herself huffing and puffing on the floor. She could barely stand on her two legs, far less walk to the stream next to them. Loke had them transfer their campsite to a place near where there was running water. Getting water was easier for Lucy and she could enjoy her baths in peace but the water was constantly cold and Lucy really missed enjoying hot baths. She wanted to quit the mission so she could return home and enjoy the luxuries in her apartment but she couldn't give up on herself or her spirits. The past week, Lucy felt like she made a closer bond with her spirits. They were supporting her and their friendships were more meaningful. They relied on her as she relied on them. They were a team and her family when she didn't have the Fairy Tail members with her.

And this training made her realize how wrong she was about not having a family before Fairy Tail. She always did have one. The first few spirits she had with her were her family. She considered them to be a part of her when she had to struggle to live alone. They fought at her side, kept her company when she was alone and gave her hope. Her spirits meant the world to her.

With a new resolve, Lucy forced herself to get up from the dirty ground. Capricorn watched with amazement as his mistress hands clenched into fists on the floor. She banged one of them against the grass as he heard her swore in a unladylike manner.

"Damn! I can do this!" With a grunt, she slowly but surely got up while giving a little yell. And miraculously, a light from her meditation began to glow from her stomach area.

He stepped back as he watched with astonishment how she stretched to her full height. Raising her hands to the air, the white light got brighter until it almost blinded him. He shielded his eyes with his hands to prevent himself from getting blind, although he was already wearing his sunglasses.

"What the hell is going on?" Loke asked as he popped next to him.

"I don't know. I have never seen this type of power coming from a celestial mage," he replied.

"Can you feel her magical aura? It's overflowing with massive energy." The air radiated with waves. Loke glanced at his feet and he could see how the grass was dancing from the powerful waves. His eyes widened as specks of dirt began to float around Lucy. He retreated and shifted his shades. He was glad that his sunglasses protected his eyes from the brightness. Diverting his attention next to him, he saw Capricorn move his hands away from his eyes.

"Do you think I should have her summon Cancer?"

"Yes," Loke answered.

"But if I do, I want her to be able to mentally summon him instead of verbally. This way if she's in a fight, she will be able to mentally call on any spirit without having to notify her opponent who it is. She will have the advantage. Also, as long as her keys are on her, she will be able to summon any of us."

Loke nodded his head. He watched as Capricorn stepped toward the young woman radiating strong magical waves in the vicinity. She looked exquisite with her blond flowing around her like a halo. Her dress was fluttering in the wind, showing her curvaceous figure. He shook his head to deviate his thoughts from turning impure.

"My lady, try to summon Cancer in your mind. No matter what you do, don't touch his key or don't say his name," he said out loud so she could hear him.

Loke saw her frown. With her hands still raised in the air, he felt more than saw how her magical aura stopped increasing and stayed on a steady level. He realized she was concentrating. The waves soared through the area and around his and Capricorn's form, hovering around them before disappearing. Capricorn folded his arms across his broad chest as he grinned. All of a sudden, a pulse came from her and with a flash of light, Cancer was standing next to her. His scissors waiting in the air; his offensive stance screaming for a fight. Capricorn took a step forward and dashed at Cancer. Both of them began their fight.

oOo

Unknown to the spirits or their mistress, the dragon shift shaper stood from a distance observing the celestial mage grow more powerful in her training. All the years he wandered the earth, he never felt anything like her power. Even standing fifty feet from her, he could feel the immense strength of her magical aura. Day by day, he watched her grow in power. From the first day when she could only summon one spirit to stay with her for a short amount of time and than seeing her interact with three spirits a week later was a feat to accomplish. Two of her spirits, one whom looked awkwardly like a goat man in a black suit, were training with her using their own magical power. The other crab like figure with shaggy hair and scissor hands was summoned using her magic.

But the pulse he felt made his muscles tightened. It stretched as far as he was standing, probably alerting her of his presence. Then, two of her spirits clashed. The goat man's fist collided with the crab man's scissors and an intense wave clashed right into his form, almost making him step back. It was astounding that the blond girl didn't move. Instead, she stayed in one place, unaffected by the two spirits' duel. The blond man he disliked, had to cross his arms over his face. His posture was in a defensive position to protect him from a deadly impact.

Acnologia smiled wickedly as he noticed the drag marks on the ground by the blond man. The two spirits caused it from their sudden clash. Although, he wanted to kill the blond haired girl a week ago, he couldn't help but be impressed with her improvement. She was proving not to be a force to reckon with. And he was curious about her nature. So far from what he knew about humans, she was defying his logics. She was an enigma. Begrudgingly, he found himself wanting to know more about the golden haired girl who can summon spirits from another world.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Both Capricorn and Cancer clashed into each other. The physical and magical impact of both spirits fists colliding into each other caused debris to fly everywhere. Loki was forced to take a defensive position, his arms blocking his face as he struggled to watch both spirits throw punches at each other, then dodge each other and jump back. He noticed during the first spirits' collision, he was forced back by the sudden impact. He could barely grasp the right footing since he was standing in a soiled area. Automatically, his eyes shifted to Lucy. Her bright light was beginning to dim. Her body was sagging to one side as her hands were slowly dropping to her sides. Loke waited for the right moment to dash between the two fighters to get to her side. He swept her off her feet and held her bridal style. Clutching her frail frame in his arms, he scouted the terrain for a safe place. He had to get her away from the two fighters. Her magic was depleting after suddenly releasing a large amount of it. Quickly, he moved away from Cancer who was charging in the other direction at Capricorn. It seemed that Cancer was aware of Lucy's magical state because he was purposely leading Capricorn away so that Loke could find a secure location before alerting Virgo to take care of her.

Gratefully, he discovered a new spot near the stream and he ran to the other side, considering that the stream was shallow. The running water reached his hips as he walked through it. He lifted Lucy's body higher in his arms to prevent her from getting wet. The weather was warm but Loke refused to get her sick, because her immune system was already down from all the excessive training she endured.

"Is your training really worth your life?" Loke asked her. He glanced down at the beautiful but tired blond girl in his arms. "Aren't you strong enough?"

Lucy could barely keep her eyes open. She felt safe and warm in Loke's arms and her body didn't want to move. Even as Loke slightly shook her while he was struggling to walk in the water, Lucy felt how her limbs were getting heavier. His words, however, broke through her haziness. Her training was everything to her. Her determination to get stronger meant she could become independent again, as she was before she joined Fairy Tail. Not that Fairy Tail was her home and her family but when she was living by herself, she was capable of summoning her spirits to fight by her side. She discovered strategies to win her battles on her own and she never met anyone tougher than her that she couldn't beat. And then being with Natsu and the other Fairy Tail members made her realize her worth. She felt useless. Watching their physical strength combined with their endless supply of magical power made her realize she couldn't compare to them in any way.

"Yes, I..." she tried to say the words, but her tongue was too lazy to find the right placement to say the sound, "wa..nt... st.. ." And then she fainted. The light from her core disappeared and her hands fell limp at her sides as Loke lowered her prone form on the ground.

He shook his head at her careless antics as he brushed the golden strands away from her face. "I hope all your struggles are worth it."

Virgo popped out next to him with materials needed to make a camp. He left Virgo to take care of Lucy while he gathered the camping gear and set everything up. Capricorn shortly joined in with helping him. Loke tried to keep his tone low when he noticed that Virgo cradled their mistress' head. The scene made him smile a bit before turning his attention to Capricorn. "What the hell just happened?"

Capricorn shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"That display of power wasn't any ordinary type. I never felt anything like it before. Is it possible for a celestial mage to have her type of power?"

"Like I said before, her will power to become strong has resulted her desired effect," Capricorn answered. He leaned down to gather the fire wood and make a pile of it by the river. Loke helped him pile the rest of wood and handed him some matches he found in the camp gear.

"That doesn't answer my question about the type of power she has," Loke said with a grim expression.

"No, it doesn't but we do know that she could mentally summon a spirit if she has our keys with her."

Loke got up from his seat and moved to a tree trunk. With all the pent up frustration he felt for the past week, he made a fist and punched the tree hard. There was a crack in the trunk before the tree lost stability and fell down.

"Are you trying to wake up our princess?" Virgo seethed through clenched teeth. Loke whirled around and realized his mistake. At least Lucy was still sleeping in Virgo's arms. "Do you want punishment?"

Raising his hands in the air, Loke shook his head.

She looked away from him and continued to dutifully look after their mistress. He moved to another tree and leaned against it, wondering what tomorrow would bring. The past week, Lucy had drastically improved in her magical power. He never knew she contained such strong and pure magical energy in her small frame. Lucy appeared to be delicate and girly in mannerism. Any opponent would never expect her to be a celestial mage or a fighter. Mostly, people overlook her as a possible threat. Unlike Natsu, Erza and Gray who rushed into battles with quick tempers and clenched fists, Lucy tended to ask questions first and search for possible solutions. She wasn't quick to fight without knowing some information about her foes, which made Loke view her as a gentle person. She was not meant to be a physical fighter but if Lucy knew how he viewed her, she would smack him or Lucy kick into the spiritual realm. But that explained another reason he couldn't believe how people viewed her to be rough around the edges. Sometimes, the guild members overheard incorrect information about her taking down foes when Natsu, Erza, or Gray were responsible for it, but from her compassionate nature, they should understand that Lucy was one to look for peaceful means and save brutal fists fights as a last resort. Her fight with Angel during the Oracion Seis incident proved how desperate she was to avoid one when she was clearly risking to give her life to save her celestial spirits and Angel's ones.

Loke gritted his teeth as his fists clenched at his side. Lucy saved his worthless life, even though he broke the sacred law in the spiritual realm to never hurt or kill a summoner. His previous summoner died because he was trying to save Aries from a cruel punishment. He didn't want to be responsible for Lucy's death, which was why he was protective over her. He was willing to serve her for eternity to repay what she did for him. She reestablished his key, his life and his placement in the spiritual realm. Lucy was an amazing person. He wasn't the only one who felt a strong love and loyalty toward her. All of her spirits felt gratitude, love and loyalty toward her. She was willing to compromise with their eccentric natures to keep them happy.

"Don't worry. We will protect our lady with our life," Capricorn said as he joined him. Breaking him from his reverie, Loke blinked his eyes at his comrade.

"How long were you observing me to know what I was thinking?" Loke asked him.

"Long enough to see the concern for our lady in your eyes," he answered. "She'll be alright. We will discover more about her magic as she continues her training. For now, we will work on her summoning and maintaining magic at certain levels. Then we will have her work on mentally summoning us."

"But don't you think she's progressing in her magic too fast?" Loke asked. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought there was something strange playing with her magic.

"It's strange but at the same time I think it might not be unusual for her to learn celestial magic quickly."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I have a theory. I'm not sure if I'm sixty percent right about the information." Capricorn leaned against another tree. He gazed up at the sky. The clouds were beginning to gather over the horizon as the sun was setting down in the west. The scene appeared peaceful but the two males knew there was trouble lingering under the surface. The moment their mistress woke from her slumber, she would demand to train again for their sakes.

"Do share your theory," Loke encouraged as he sank down against tree to make himself comfortable.

Continuing to gaze at the sky, Capricorn shared what was on his mind. "Humans are complicated creatures. When they truly desire something, they will do whatever it takes to get their desires. Lucy's desire to get mentally stronger is driving her to extreme difficulties but it's because of her desire, she is able to progress quickly in her training. And I wonder if what her beloved mother believed is coming true..."

"What do you mean?" Loke instantly shouted and shifted closer to the other spirit in order not to incur Virgo's wrath.

"There's a theory that everything living has magic in them. With humans, there are some people who are born with more magic than others. This explains why we have the Magic Council and the magical guilds. The people who have more magic are able to weave magic into a physical form and the Magical Council and guilds provide a place for these people to conduct their magic in the proper setting. But I don't know how to continue from there." Capricorn shook his head. Then he scratched it, contemplating his next words. "I think I forgot my thought."

Loke sagged in his seat.

A silver light flashed clearly before the two males spirits' eyes, taking them by surprise. Fortunately, they didn't have to cover their eyes due to their shades shielding them. But the unexpected spirit from the celestial world astonished them. They never knew Crux could optionally open his gate.

"When?... How?... Why are you here?" Loke effetely tried to question the human cross.

The cross simply crossed his arms over his chest while he floated in the air. "Don't give me that expression," he said to Loke. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and I wanted to complete Capricorn's thought. But first I want you to answer my questions."

"What is it?" Capricorn asked.

"Wait, we can't be wasting our time..." Loke never got to finish his sentence.

"You do forget that Crux is an archive that has vast information on celestial spirits and their summoners. He knows the celestial spirit history better than anyone else," Capricorn admonished the golden lion spirit. Loke scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and apologized to Crux.

"As you were saying," Capricorn gestured to the cross to ask his questions.

"Do you know why the Magic Council and magical guilds were formed?"

"Yes," Loke answered. "They were built to help gather the strongest of wizards who can weave their magic into physical forms and use them for a greater purpose to serve society rather than have the wizards use it for destruction."

The cross nodded his head, a big grin formed on his thin lips as he was impressed by Loke's information. "But what happen with the people who have magical auras and don't know how to utilize it properly?"

"They get training from teachers or masters," answered Loke while he shrugged his shoulders.

"Correct," the cross spirit said. He nodded his head. "Now for a more challenging question. What happens to the others who don't have resources to get extra training?"

"They don't get magical training. They live as ordinary humans do," Loke guessed.

Cross shook his head. "That's the part Capricorn left out." Cross lifted his pointer finger into the air. "Some humans are born with large amount of magical energy, although it's rare. This magical energy converts into spiritual energy if the person know how to weave their magical aura into a physical form. But for the ones who can't do it, they are called magical sources."

"Magical sources?" Capricorn and Loke both repeated.

Cross put down his hand and again nodded his head. "Magical sources are rare because those who are born don't live past childhood. Their magical auras are too great in size to maintain in their small bodies. Doctors call these passing as a form of disease to try to explain the anomaly. But the Magic Council know who the children are and keep their names and family lines in their records because the Magic Council is responsible for keeping track of possible magical sources. However, it's very rare a child matures into adulthood and there have been some cases that it happened before. A couple of them were celestial mages."

"What exactly are you saying?" Loke was baffled by Crux's explanation. Capricorn was listening quietly.

"A magical source who doesn't know how to use his/her magic can survive two ways. One way is to have that person's magic constantly fed from a magical user. Another way is to have the person sustain everyone's magic without him/her being aware of it. You will know a magical source by the little details. The person is encouraging, outgoing, sparks a knack for getting into trouble, when all hope seems lost the person creates a miracle."

"Okay, I think I understand," Loke said.

"No, I don't think you do, fellow." The Cross shook his head in sadness. "In our celestial spirit history, our first celestial mage was a magical source. Al Mevins, the first summoner, couldn't weave his magical aura into physical forms like other wizards. Instead, he discovered a way to open a gate to the heavens and created spiritual forms to dwell in it. To give us, spiritual forms or life, he used his magical energy as a life sustenance in forms of keys. Others, who were born with a similar magic like him, but were not viewed as magical sources were taught how to become celestial mages."

"How is it we are able to live in the spiritual realm, then?" Virgo asked, causing everyone to jump in astonishment.

Crux smiled warmly at the loyal spirit. "It's believed that Al Melvins' magic was so great that when he died in the spiritual world, his magic collapsed and collided with our magic and created a big bang. The particles of magic spread throughout the spiritual realm creating new life and continues to do so today. Another theory is we are constantly feeding from our summoner's magic. If you noticed, when our contract expires with one summoner, we search for another summoner to begin a new one."

"I see," Virgo responded. She and the other spirits glanced at their mistress who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. The new information they discovered from Crux made them realize how important Lucy was in their lives. Without her, they wouldn't have the tight knitted family or experience a lovely world.

But then something about Crux's words didn't seem right to Virgo and she may have discovered the forgotten part of Capricorn's theory. Virgo eyes widened and her body stiffened. Her bodily reaction caused her chains to jerk and for Lucy to shift in her arms. The three males detected her actions and concerned expressions marred their faces.

"What's wrong Virgo?" Loke was the first one to break the silence.

"I was just thinking," Virgo half way responded before shaking her head. "It can't be."

"What?" Capricorn questioned.

The three males continued to stare at her and she realized she had no choice but to share her epiphany with them. "What if Lucy is a magical source?"

oOo

A whole week had passed in Fairy Tail and Natsu Dragneel still didn't know what happened to his partner, Lucy. His mistake was not taking the approach to instantly search for her on the first day. He was too laid back when he entered Fairy Tail. At the time, his mind was on food. He was as hungry as a dragon and ate almost everything on Mirajane's menu. After, he sat back and watched the other Fairy Tail members do their usual thing, which was either bicker at each other or drink heavy amounts of alcohol. Only when his stomach was settled, he told Happy about going to Lucy's place so they could go on a mission together. However, Lucy was not at home and Natsu stayed at her place until the next day waiting for her. On the second day, he was worried about her. He went to the guild and began asking members if they had seen her, although he got the worst beating from Erza for losing Lucy. Sadly, no one knew what happened to her and Gray, Erza, Juvia, Wendy, Levy and him barged into Master Makarov's office to find if he knew Lucy's whereabouts. To say Master Makarov was a bit shocked and disappointed how long it took them to notice Lucy's disappearance was an understatement. Master Makarov silently passed the group and stood in front of the banister overlooking the main floor where most of the guild members gathered. He hunched over and with dismay announced that Lucy was taking a vacation from Fairy Tail. His announcement astonished the guild because it was so unlike Lucy to take a vacation without letting anyone know her whereabouts. And from Master Makarov's reaction to the announcement, Lucy must have been troubled for her to request sometime of absence from the guild.

Since the old man's announcement, Natsu and Happy searched earnestly for her. He ran back to her apartment and used his enhanced smell to trace her scent from the apartment to the train station. But once he arrived at the train station, he lost her scent. It mingled with hundreds of other different scents. If his enhanced senses were stronger, perhaps as strong as an actual dragon, he would have been able to trace her scent. But it was impossible. He returned to her apartment feeling depressed but with new vigor he searched her belongings, especially read the special novel she was writing for Levy to read, for clues as to her desired destination. Unfortunately, he found nothing. The only fact he discovered was Lucy was a great writer. He read some of her work, but only bits and pieces that she allowed him to read. He realized that he would never make fun of her writing again. Even Happy sat down on the couch and flipped through the pages of her book. At one point, Natsu saw tears in his little friend's eyes. Any book that could make the little cat engrossed in it had to be a good writer because Happy didn't like to read.

Natsu returned to the guild and scanned the job board for any missions that might intrigue Lucy. Most of the jobs were about fighting or either doing menial labor for money. Lucy wasn't the type to be interested in those types of jobs. She was interested in work that didn't have physical labor, mostly like working in a café or helping someone's play. He rescanned the job board to see if any of them were rewarding keys. Since Lucy was a celestial mage, she might have been looking for a job that offered silver or golden keys, although he could never understand how her spirits operated. They were weird to him, like Lucy.

When he couldn't find anything on the job board, he had Happy fly him all around town. They stopped in the places she was interested in, especially the clothing stores because she had an obsession for clothing. He never understood how she could have so many shirts, pants, skirts and dresses when a couple outfits were enough for him.

Natsu sighed as he dropped his head on Mirajane's counter. Happy sat next to him feeling dejected as well. Where in the world was Lucy? Why did she suddenly leave Fairy Tail without letting anyone know? What happened to their partnership? He remembered the last time he saw Lucy. She didn't look like her usual self. Her mind was elsewhere when he accidently bumped into her because a stupid ice mage couldn't control his temper. Maybe she was vex at him for not apologizing or for not walking her home that night.

"I don't get it," Happy said as he glanced at him with sad eyes. "Why did Lucy leave us? Did we do something to make her mad at us?"

"No," Natsu said, trying to cheer up his other best friend. "It's definitely not your fault."

"It's not yours either, flame brain," Gray entered the conversation. Gray probably saw Natsu's hyper active energy was at a low and he was trying to gain some reaction from him. But it didn't work.

Natsu sighed again.

"Come on, Natsu." Gray elbowed him. "Lucy only went on a vacation. It's not like she permanently left Fairy Tail."

A fist popped out of nowhere on Gray's head. "How can you say something so insensitive?" A scary voice said. Gray turned to a see a scarlet haired woman standing behind him. Her aura radiated anger and Gray found himself lifting his hands in a defensive gesture.

"I'm sorry," he apologized immediately.

"You better be," Erza admonished him. "Natsu and Happy have a right to feel sad about Lucy's departure. It's so unlike her to leave without telling anyone where's she going. Even Master Makarov doesn't have a clue where she went."

"I don't get it," Natsu repeated his friend's words. He lifted his head to display a gloomy face. Happy moved next to him and patted his head. "We're best friends and partners. Normally, she will go on a mission with us."

"It's not your fault," Happy soothed him. "You know how weird Lucy is."

Natsu nodded his head and then dropped his face on the counter hard. Both Gray and Erza winced from the impact. Happy, on the other hand, hunched his little body in defeat. Two other people joined them and Erza immediately turned around, ready to pounce on the two intruders. She stopped when she saw Levy followed by a grumpy Gajeel.

"We know how you feel," Levy answered. "I've been trying to think of different reasons for Lucy's abrupt departure."

"Maybe bunny girl wanted a rest from us," Gajeel mumbled under his breath. "A vacation is a gateway from this place."

No one never saw when Natsu got up from his seat nor they did expect him to punch Gajeel hard in the face. The iron dragon slayer fell back with such a force that he indented the ground.

"Don't say that about Luce," Natsu threatened. He stood tall as his hands clenched into fists. The people in the guild immediately quieted as they felt Natsu's magical pressure increased in the room. Levy covered her mouth in shock and made a move to help Gajeel but was blocked by Erza. The scarlet haired woman shook her head at her. Gray's mouth finally closed as he stepped aside. Everyone realized Natsu's uneasiness had built for the past week and decided the best way for him to calm down was to express his emotions the best way he did, through a fight.

"Or what will you do to me?" Gajeel got up to his feet and brushed aside the dust from his shoulders. "A trail of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth and he wiped it away. He grinned in delight, showing sharp teeth. His red eyes flickered with amusement.

"I'll kill you," Natsu said simply. Both men stared at each other, which was a given first because Natsu usually rushed into a fight without thinking. His fists tightened more against his pants as he growled. Muscles tightened under rough skin and both magical pressures increased in the room.

"Are we seeing Natsu's reaction clearly?" Levy asked Erza. Erza nodded her head.

And then both males dashed at each other. They yelled their special techniques before their fists were engulfed with their magical powers. Natsu's fist turned into a wild flame while Gajeel's fist turned into iron, both about to collide with each other but it was stopped by another huge fist. The impact of three fists' collision caused all the occupants in the room to cover their faces as debris flew everywhere. Erza stepped in front of Levy to protect her from slamming into Mirajane's bar table. Gray hunched over while shielding his face with his arms. The others ducked under tables or hunched over on the floor.

As the atmosphere cleared of the dust, Natsu and Gajeel found themselves facing none other than Master Makarov in his huge form. "What the hell is going here? Why are you two trying to kill your members?" Makarov questioned in a booming voice. The other members shook from fear with his voice.

Natsu's and Gajeel's anger deflated and they retreated from their over grown master as much as possible.

"Well? Is anyone going to answer my questions?" The huge and burly man turned to his children to see if they would provide answers to his question.

Levy was the one to answer him. "They were fighting over Lucy's disappearance, sir." Her voice sounded small and she appeared more delicate than ever as her head bowed and her hands intertwined nervously in front of her. Natsu sighed and unclenched his fists.

"I don't care what anyone says," Natsu said with a final declaration in his voice. "Lucy loves Fairy Tail. She is a part of our family. She is the light and happiness of this place." He raised his finger and pointed it at Gajeel. "Don't ever say that she left here because she was tired of us."

Master Makarov was astounded from what he heard from Natsu. Usually, the boy showed a lot of conviction about his family when they were in danger but to see the amount of passion and sincerity coming from him while facing his own members left him speechless. All of Fairy Tail was speechless.

They were all silent as they watched Natsu turn and leave the guild, followed by Happy, Erza, and Gray.

oOo

"It's so strange," a whale full voice said. Seven dark figures, wearing long cloaks and hoods covering their heads, gathered in an unknown room, surrounding a huge chair designed as a throne. Only there was a machine equipped at the head of it. The armrests and stool to settle the person's feet had shackles to chain a person down. On top of the chair was a long band to restrain a person. And at the headrest was a collar known to suck a person's magical force. "I never felt such power," the same voice said.

"Could anyone discern the aura?" another voice asked but it was smooth unlike the first one.

"You mean if it was good or bad?" a high voice pitched in.

"Yes," the second one answered.

"No doubt the magic was powerful but it was still weak to discern if it was intentionally good or evil," said another voice that sounded cocky. "I could beat the magical user into a blood pulp any day."

"Are you sure?" a deep baritone questioned. "The power's location felt very far from us. If we were there in person, something different may happen otherwise."

"Shut up!" the cocky person yelled. "I could beat it any day!"

"You wish!" Another voice squealed.

"Silence," a simple tone commanded in the room and everyone stopped talking. "Now, Zora relay the details of your report about the magical incident."

The cloaked figure named Zora stepped forward and with a wave of a pale hand, a diagram appeared before everyone's eyes. The information appeared in golden words with pictures and symbols floating in midair that Zora could only comprehend.

"The magical output was sensed to be fourth to none." There was some gasps and skeptics at the unusual calculation for the unknown magic sensed earlier. Zora continued in his smooth voice while ignoring their reactions. "The magical output remains to be declared whether it is good nor evil and it's destination is in far outskirts of Magnolia. It may be that Zeref, Acnologia or Zeref's creations have awoken. I will have to wait for more incidents to occur to present more accurate results."

"Therefore, you're unsure about the magical aura we all felt," the deep baritone concluded.

Zora didn't say anything.

"I don't know about you guys!" the voice squealed. "But that power felt so similar to a magical sources' power!"

"Wait, now that you mention it, I must agree," the cocky voice said.

"Are you sure?" Zora asked. "We haven't encounter one in fifteen years. And it was from a child on the verge of death."

"Hmmm..." the authoritative voice countered. "If the powerful aura is from a possible magical source, then we better sharpened our senses to locate it. This might be the one we were waiting for a long time."

 


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy was muttering incomprehensively under her breath. Sometimes her voice would raise to a yelp and then lower to mummers, leaving Virgo and Loke worried. If only they understood her words, they would know what happened to her. Apparently the last magical outburst forced Lucy's unconsciousness and her spirits were left baffled how to take care of her. As night time rolled in, Virgo tried to persuade the lion spirit to return to the celestial world while she remained at Lucy's side but the stubborn spirit refused to leave. He remarked on using his own magic to remain in the Earthland until he knew Lucy was alright. He felt responsible for her condition because he should have known she was pushing herself too far.

And he began to feel a certain dislike for Team Natsu. If only they made her feel important and or showed how strong she was in their team, then she wouldn't be in the middle of nowhere struggling to get more powerful. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in annoyance. Lucy was strong in her own right but after Virgo's question, he couldn't help but feel a looming awareness that things were going to change. Whether the change was positive or negative, he didn't know. However, one fact remained. With power always came trouble. Lucy's power may attract unwanted attention and he had to devise strategies to hide her abilities from other mages.

He sat down crossed legged and gazed at the depths of flames in camp. Each sparkle danced across his shades. He raised a hand to his face and removed his sunglasses before closing his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his noise and inhaled a deep breath. Letting it go, he opened his eyes to see Virgo's blue eyes staring questionably at him. He shook his head at her to indicate he was lost in deep thought.

A flash of light appeared next to him and Loke turned to see Crux floating next to him. The old man gave them a long face before turning his attention to their sleeping mistress. He moved next to the sleeping blond and tilted his head at her. The old spirit put a hand on her forehead and narrowed his eyes. Rising on his haunches, Loke was about to move to Lucy's side when he saw the old man closed his eyes and earnestly began snoring. Virgo smiled while Loke fell face down on the dirt, only missing the fire by a couple of inches.

"Damn old spirit," Loke mumbled as he straightened up into a sitting position. "I thought he could possibly tell us what's wrong with our princess."

Virgo appeared completely unfazed by the Crux's actions. She was aware of how he searched for information because she knew they worked together in the past. Before Lucy, they had another master they shared. Virgo was in charge of defending him while Crux provided information. Even when she did chores, he was reciting information he researched for their master. But that master was never as wonderful as their mistress. Lucy was kind hearted and caring. She showed them more love than their former master. She was sure that Crux felt the similar emotions for their mistress too. He appeared twice, the first time being when he explained the history of magic and this time to check on their mistress' magical reserve.

All of a sudden, the cross opened his eyes. He narrowed his eyes on the limp blond before diverting to Virgo. Loke didn't miss the old spirit's actions and straightened in his seat. There was another flash of light and Capricorn was sitting next to them.

"What's happening?" Capricorn was the one to break the silence. "Why do I feel distress among the three of you."

The old cross and the maid were having a silent communication with each other.

"I don't know," Loke answered him. "The old man was checking her condition when his face turned serious."

"Then we'll have to wait for our answer," Capricorn said. He crossed his arms over his chest. Meanwhile Loke sighed. He was irritated. Again, he had the urge that they weren't alone in the meadow. It was a nagging thought that had been bothering him the past week. Even though they switched campsites a couple of times, the feeling never left him alone. And negative thoughts began swirling in his mind. What if a group of thugs found Lucy and they were waiting to attack her when she was alone and tired? What if someone felt the release of her immense powers?

His last thought was main reason he never left Lucy alone. If he had to return to the celestial world to replenish his magic, he would inform another spirit to stay with her, which Capricorn and Virgo would mostly likely oblige. They, and now Crux, were the only spirits available to willingly open their gates and stay in Earthland with Lucy. 

"Lucy's magic is not stabilizing," Virgo said, breaking Loke from his reverie.

"What?" Capricorn was the one to answer before him.

Loke retreated from the fire and walked to Lucy's side. "What do you mean by that?"

"Meaning that Virgo's assumption about Lucy being a Magical Source might be correct," Crux said with a solemn expression.

"I don't get it," Loke said. "If she's a Magical Source, then shouldn't she be powerful?"

"No," the cross replied as he shook his head. "That's not always the case. Do you remember how I told you how a Magical Source don't usually live pass childhood? She's beginning to show the symptoms of one."

Loke's body stiffened while Virgo bowed her head. Capricorn sat rigidly as he stared at Lucy's frail frame.

"What?" Loke questioned completely missing the old spirit's trail of thoughts.

"Didn't you find it strange how she was quickly progressing with her magic? The last release of magic was final toss for her to become in this state." The cross gestured to her body. Lucy mumbled something incoherently before turning restlessly. Virgo placed her hands on Lucy's wrists while Loke moved to grab her feet.

"How do we get her to feel better?" Loke asked.

"We're going to have to wait," the old spirit said with a sad expression. "Her magic has been freed. There is no limit on how much she releases. Think of a facet with running water. Her untapped magic is now running on full blast and the leverage is broken. There is no way to shut off the water and eventually the sink is going to be overflowed. She won't be able to control her magic and she will amplify anyone's magic who comes into contact with her. If she doesn't, the magical energy will suffuse her body and physically wear her down. She will become sick and will die."

"We can't wait!" Loke shouted. He made a move to strangle the floating cross when Capricorn intercepted him. "This is our princess! Her life can be in grave danger! We can't stand by and do nothing!"

"Calm down," Capricorn warned him in a low tone. His hands grabbed Loke's shoulders to keep him in place. "Lucy wouldn't want you to hurt any one of her spirits. Think how devastated she will be if you do."

Loke let Capricorn words settled into his mind before pushing away from the goat man and turning his back on them.

"Don't worry, Capricorn," Crux said. "I understand Loke's reaction."

"What the hell do you know?" Sharply, Loke faced the cross while bearing his teeth. A growl rumbled from his chest. Again, Capricorn stood between the two spirits.

"Loke, what you're feeling is an intense desire to protect our mistress," Crux explained. "The bond you have with her is the strongest bond a celestial spirit can make with their master or mistress."

Loke growled again, not caring for the old spirit's words. "There are many different bonds also known as contracts. The regular one is formed when the celestial mage summons her spirit for the first time and they establish a set of rules. The second bond is when the celestial spirit is handed down from one generation to the next one. The last bond is when the celestial mage is promised to stay with their master or mistress for life. This lifetime of service creates an everlasting effect and grants you more freedom of power to protect her. You have a link to feel her thoughts and emotions, which explains why you've been feeling edgy the past week."

As if Crux's words were like daggers, Loke felt his body growing rigid with realization. His growing urges to protect Lucy, making sure she was never alone, unknowingly scouting the area and making them move their campsite were ways to ensure her safety. Somehow, his feelings were a response to her emotions. Raising his head, he closed his eyes. He tapped into his magical reserves, letting it from his core as a bright light pulsed within him. The magic turned into waves and scattered around the spirits, scanning the environment for any other unknown magical energy. When he felt nothing, he slumped over. Capricorn caught him before he hit the ground.

"I'm sorry for being a jackass," Loke apologized. The cross nodded his head in understanding. "Her emotions are jumbled and I have this nagging feeling to protect her from something out there."

Crux, Capricorn, and Virgo raised their heads at the same time. They scanned the area using their magical energy as Loke did. Then they toned it down.

"Whatever it is, we know we can't leave Lucy by herself," Capricorn admonished.

"And if our princess needs to keep her magic stabilize, then we can take turns feeding from her magical aura," Virgo responded.

Crux smiled fondly at the pinked haired spirit. "My thoughts exactly. After all, she is a celestial mage and we are her celestial spirits. We rely on her magic to remain in Earthland." Then his face turned grim. "However, this proves another fact that our mistress might be a Magical Source."

All three spirits glanced at him. "What is this other factor that proves our princess is a Magical Source?"

The cross took a deep breath before letting it go. He brought a hand to his chin before he shared his facts. "According to the archives of magical sources, a Magical Source is awaken in two different ways. One method is when there is a magical strain put on the user. Another method is if the user comes into contact with a potent opposing force."

"Hmmm..." the goat man appeared in deep contemplation as he stared into starry sky. "The first one sounds like what happen to our lady. But if what Loke is feeling is true, we can't opt the second one."

"Which completely baffles me," Loke said, having the other three spirits glance at him. "If someone is out there, why haven't they attacked yet unless they're waiting for our princess to be alone and defenseless?"

All four spirits warily watched around them, trying to spread their magical senses in the distance and felt nothing. They all slumped their shoulders in defeat when Virgo's voice of reason reached their ears. "We should focus on helping our mistress become stronger." Virgo thoughtfully gazed at the horizon. "Maybe whosever is out there has sensed our princess' power and won't attack because of it. Remember, we can choose to open and close our own gates without being summoned. We can protect our princess when the times comes. Until then, let's keep her magic undetectable as possible so we don't attract other unwanted attention."

All three spirits agreed with her. Capricorn decided he would return to the spiritual world since he needed to replenish his magic for another day of training. Crux decided to stay at Virgo's side to monitor's Lucy's magic. Loke was still hesitant to leave the celestial mage's side.

"Don't worry," Virgo soothed the orange-haired spirit. "I'll watch her like I always do and I will take some of her magic to maintain her aura."

If there was one fact that Loke knew well enough was Virgo was very protective of their mistress. Like him, she appeared at Lucy's side during dangerous situations and saved her or took care of her. He knew Lucy was in good hands. He nodded his head and with a flash of light, he returned to the spiritual world.

oOo

Lucy woke up in fright. Her senses were screaming danger. A wail was lodged in her throat. The moment she sat upright, she felt something clasped both her shoulders and she began to struggle in a frenzy. The person applied more pressure on her shoulders and Lucy was beating at the form with her fists.

"Princess!" a voice called to her but her magic was responding to her struggles. A golden glow was casting a halo around her frame and it was getting brighter the more Lucy's fear rose. The weight on her shoulders disappeared and Lucy found herself rolling in the soil. Her back bumped hard against a tree, causing her to scream.

Another golden light flashed beside her, and a figure closed strong arms around her upper body. He slightly lifted her from the ground and brushed golden locks away from her face while murmuring soothing words to her. "My princess, everything is going to be okay," Loke whispered to her. "I promise. We won't let anything happen to you."

Slowly, Lucy was responding to Loke's voice. Her body grew calmer while she let him rock her back and forth. She recognized his voice when he called to her. And Lucy realized that his magic was a little different from her other spirits' magic. His magic had more of a golden light and it was hotter in temperature than her other spirits. Blinking away the excess moisture from her eyes, she started to apologize for her rude behavior. She woke up feeling apprehensive because there was a sinister force following them. When she released a magical wave, a long distance from her, she felt dark magic responding to her.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy replied to her spirits. She was vaguely aware of Virgo standing aside. Capricorn and Crux joined the scene. "I feel something dark is watching us."

"You were right, Loke," Capricorn confirmed Loke's suspicion.

"Then the second fact was what awoken our princess' ability?" Virgo questioned, referring to the two facts that proved what was a Magical Source.

"Yes," Crux answered. Crux hovered near Lucy and when Loke deemed it was okay for her to see the others without breaking down again, he stepped back and allowed Crux to examine her magical reserves. The old spirit put a hand on her forehead and closed his eyes. Lucy eyes darted to Loke, Capricorn and to Virgo. All three of them smiled as they reassured her that Crux's action was nothing unusual. When the cross opened his eyes, he hovered back and grinned. "You're looking healthier."

"Why? Did I miss something?" Lucy asked, completely feeling at loss among her spirits.

All the spirits looked at each other while silently communicating and Lucy looked at them feeling puzzled. Their gaze turned on her, causing her to retreat and divert her attention to the horizon. Loke was the first one to accost her and gently he settled his large hand on her forearm. He pulled her cautiously toward the others and gestured with his hand to sit down. Momentarily, Virgo disappeared to reappear with food and began her preparations. Crux floated on the other side, sitting crossed legged. One hand was under his chin as he looked deep in thought. Capricorn sat next to him.

Lucy fidgeted in her seat, looking extremely uncomfortable among her friends. She acknowledged that grandfather Crux wanted to share some important information with her. But seeing her four spirits socialize made her feel jumpy and she was already in a state of panic.

"Lucy," Loke was the first one to break the silence. She jumped a little from his voice. He put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder while he smiled a little. Lucy forced herself to calm down by remembering to breathe in and out. She smiled shakily at him and the others before letting grandfather Crux tell her some unfortunate news.

Thirty minutes passed where each spirit and Lucy ate something while the spirits explain their observations. Lucy shook her head as disbelief marred her pretty face. "You can't possibly think that I have endless magical reserves. I'm not like Natsu or Erza."

The first approach of disbelief was denial. And grandfather Crux expected the behavior from the golden celestial mage. "You are correct that you're not Natsu and Erza. You are our mistress and believe us when we say your magic is different."

"You have to have felt it with your last magical outburst," Loke tried to confirm her feelings. "Your magical aura went from gold to a white. In all my years serving other celestial mages I have never seen one of them do that."

"He's correct," Crux agreed.

"I too, have never seen something so extraordinary or felt something so powerful," Capricorn confirmed.

"So what do I do?" Lucy burst out in tears and covered her face with her hands to hide her fear. She wanted to get stronger for her friends at Fairy Tail. She wanted to become more independent so the others would never have to worry about her. Instead, she handicapped herself. She had untapped magical power that she couldn't control.

"That's why we are here," the old spirit said. "You may not be able to weave your power into a physical form, but we can. As your spirits-."

"No," Lucy countered. "As my family."

Crux paused and then gulped nervously, completely taken aback with his mistress' claim. "Thank you," he said feeling grateful and blessed to have her as his mistress. "As your family, we will stay by your side and transfer your magical energy into ourselves to keep your magic stable and to keep you undetected from other mages who are looking for someone powerful."

"I can't do that to all of you," Lucy responded with a small child like voice. "All of you have personal lives in the celestial world. I can't take that from you."

Loke wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a friendly gesture. "You call us family and then you shove us away like that. Without you, we won't be able to experience the best of both worlds. Besides, family sticks together no matter what."

For a moment, Loke sounded like Natsu and Lucy couldn't help the ghost of smile that curved on her pink lips. She hugged Loke and got up to hug the others. "Thank you," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You're welcome," Virgo responded.

"And remember we're always here for you," Capricorn said.

Then Lucy turned her head to look at Loke. "Okay, what are we going to do?"

"We'll move camp further into the forest," Loke said. Capricorn and Virgo gave him looks of disapproval while Crux remained silent. The other spirits glanced his direction for his suggestion.

"Hmmm... If there is someone watching us, I think it's better to keep moving to an isolated area." Capricorn was about to protest but the old spirit raised his hand to stop him. "Plus, the deeper we are in the forest, the better because we don't want to attract anyone else."

The other spirits thought about the old spirit's suggestion but it was Lucy who responded. "I think that's a great idea." Although Lucy felt frightened of eventually facing a menacing person, whomsoever or whatsoever was out there was going to be in for a fight of their life. Lucy had something that other people wish they had. She had a family to rely on. Maybe fighting with others wasn't such a bad idea after all.

oOo

To say that Acnologia was astonished at the little blonde's resolve was an understatement. The moment she released her magical energy, the power pulsed with enough force that his magic responded and it gave away his location. His magical response caused her body to lapse and she fell unconscious but he was aware she knew about his looming presence.

Should he strike at her now?

A stronger part of him wanted to burst out from his hiding spot and destroy the insects dwelling on his land. And he almost let the dark part of him take over as he felt his body changing into his dragon form. Then logical thought overtook him and he decided to calm the rage surging through his form. He had to lay down and it took all of his control to force each part of his body to return into his humanoid self. The hardest part for him was to turn his hands into their human form since black scales with sharp claws were digging into the earth's soil.

He breathed in the air when he felt less powerful waves search for his existence and he laughed at the puny pests. His magical aura formed around his body like a sheathe and then wavered, letting him know that he would remain undetected until the golden celestial mage conjured her powers once again.

But why did his powers respond to hers?

His eyebrows drew together in concentration as he willed his hands to change from dragon to human form. He clenched his teeth as the muscles rippled in his forearms; his scales turned into the softer and sensitive flesh of a human. He growled in triumphant when his body was completely in his human form. He was able to curb his darker side. Before he attacked the young morsel and decided to chew on her flesh and bones as his prize, he wanted to learn more about her. There was something different about her power. It felt somewhat familiar, yet he couldn't place where he came across it.

He clasped both hands behind his head as he shifted his gaze to the stars. The only peaceful part that remained in his long existence was the stars. They remained constant while he was forced to watch creatures live briefly and then die. Dull nails dug into his scalp and he gritted his teeth as a dark urge beat at him to kill the blond girl. She was a vermin, and like the others, she was going to be selfish, greedy, insolent and arrogant.

But her little actions was contradicting his thoughts about humans. For one, her magic was of pure light. He could feel the love and warmth she felt when she summoned her spirits. From her spirits' reaction toward her, they cared greatly for her. They watched over her day and night, which was why he prolonged his attack. He wanted to see how long they would keep up their charade. And so far he was astonished because her magical outburst tired her but her spirits somehow stayed at her side, which should have been impossible. He couldn't remember facing a celestial mage whose powers were unlimited.

Two, a celestial mage would never allow a spirit to dictate his or her actions. The celestial mage had complete power over his or her spirits and he or she usually abused it. Celestial spirits were treated unfairly and were forced to be subservient no matter what the master or mistress wanted them to do. This blond mage allowed them to do whatever they wanted to her. He watched as a maid spirit took care of her in the night or how they gather around her and talk about her when she was sleeping. During her interactions with them, she never reprimanded for their insolent behavior or physically punished them for their disrespect. While fighting, he could see how she wanted to participate in such an event. He never heard of a celestial mage fighting alongside her spirits.

And lastly, she deeply cared for them and they loved her. Observing them for the past week, he noticed that she was never left alone. They encouraged and supported her during her training. And she was willing to damage her spiritual energy by unleashing most of her power to become stronger so she could support them.

What kind of human would sacrifice her life for others? And her spirits weren't even human. They could live for eternity while her existence was meager.

That was what he hated most about humans. Alone, they were weak and vulnerable. They whined and wished for greater things they could never have. But, she was strong and her wish was made in concern for others, not herself. Her magic consisted of looking after others besides herself. Maybe it was the love that shined through her magic that intrigued him. Maybe it was her complexity, how she defied his every logic of understanding humans that left him baffled.

He would keep her alive and continue to watch her. The golden haired girl was aware of his existence. He could feel her fear drumming at him like a heartbeat. The worry was in her eyes, the way she screamed and struggled against her spirits. Whenever they moved camp, she would be glancing over her shoulder.

He smiled wickedly. Watching her break would be a great amusement for him. Her true colors would eventually show. The worry she held for her spirits would become for herself. And only then would he prove that every human was selfish.

oOo

A little girl with short silver hair and light blue eyes glanced fearfully around a room. There was a cot, a toilet and a little mirror. On the other side of the room, there were magical bars that sucked the magic out of a living person. The little girl already was warned not to touch it when a dark cloaked figure pushed her into the room. The little girl didn't know why she was in a cell to begin with. All she remembered was being in bed and her parents crying over her. Then a young teenage girl with long green hair and white eyes entered the room. Her parents were startled and wary of her but one look in their eyes and her parents nodded their heads.

The green head girl moved towards her and with a high pitchy voice introduced herself. "My name is Lena and you're Ruri? Right?"

The little girl slowly nodded her head. There was something strange about the teenager named Lena.

"I'm here on the doctor's special orders to take good care of you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." The teenager laughed. But then her facial expression changed into a sad one. "But that means you have to say goodbye to mom and dad."

"Why?" the girl cried out, not liking the fact that she had to be separated from her parents. She made them cry with her fragile state. She didn't want to make them sadder by leaving them alone.

"Well, my friend is a special doctor and he has the right medicine to make you feel better unless you want to die and leave them alone."

The little girl glanced from her parents to the strange looking Lena. Her parents never uttered a word to deny or approve Lena's words.

"Your parents are very sad," Lena said slowly as she gestured to her parents. "Don't you want to get better for their sake?"

The young girl nodded her head.

"Well, then come with me and my friend will make you feel like a brand new person." The little girl agreed to go with the green haired teenager. But she never expected to be left in a cell.

All of a sudden the shining bars wavered and a cloak figure appeared in the room. Pale hands rose to remove the hood that covered an extra pale face. The little girl gasped as she found herself looking at a young man with white hair and starry black eyes. A smooth voice chanted words and a strange shapes began to float in the air, filling the cell until of all it was directed towards her. She screamed out loud, calling for her parents but no one besides the dark stranger heard her. With a last gasp, the shapes pressed down on her body, constricting her breathing and she fell into the cot unconscious.


	4. Chapter 4

Something didn't feel right. The atmosphere felt too heavy for Lucy to draw a breath. Her heart thundered in her ears. Immediately, she opened her eyes, feeling something hovering at the edge of her five senses. Everything in her body was screaming for her to run. The cold air blew against the thin barrier of her clothing, causing her body to shiver.

How the hell did she get herself into such a dangerous situation? She was suppose to be training to get stronger in a forest away from civilization and then she attracted the wrong kind of attention and she discovered that she had another magical potential besides being a celestial mage. Sitting upright, she searched the campsite for a sign from of one of her spirits. Struggling to peer through the darkness since the campfire died, she noticed the sky was dark with stars. It had been awhile since someone tended to the fire with wood.

"Virgo?" she called to her loyal celestial spirit, believing the pink haired maid was somewhere nearby, but no one answered her call. The wind blew against her form causing her to shiver as a howl erupted in the night. Lucy stiffened in her spot. Darting a wary glance all around her, she cursed herself for lacking in good judgment and sensibility.

Something definitely wasn't right. She tumbled out of a sleeping bag that Virgo must have provided for her from the celestial world and she felt her body for signs of weapons. She sighed in relief at feeling her pouch with her keys but she frowned at not feeling the comfort of her whip. She might have agreed with Loke to train to become a mentalist instead of a combat fighter but that did not give him the right to take away her whip. She had to have a serious chat with him later about it.

A howl pitched the night sky, interrupting her from her thoughts, alerting her of its closeness. She had to move before whoever or whatever was out there closed in on her. Momentarily, she searched around the campsite, searching for any of her spirits or a weapon. Her eyes became adjusted to the dark as she made out a tent, large rocks surrounded the campfire, a stream was flowing behind the tent and her campsite was located by tall trees. Her spirits decided to stop and spend a night in the forest rather than an open area. That was smart of them. But how come they weren't with her?

'Oh shucks!' she thought. 'I should have listened to Loke earlier and stayed somewhere near people.' She was alone with no idea how she was going to escape a beast somewhere near her. A snarl erupted from her left and Lucy jumped out of her sleeping bag. She headed towards the direction of the river, absently noting the water would cover her tracks from the predator.

Running down the stream bare footed, she hissed as she felt the sharpness of the stones stabbing under them. The coolness of the water made her wish the night's air was warmer against her exposed skin. She continued to follow the stream while debating on traveling in the shallow waters or running on the soft soil at edge of it. When breathing became hard from a long run, she paused to gasp for breath. She bent down to cup the fresh water in between her hands and drink it. She repeated filling the cold water in between her hands and drinking the cool liquid until her throat wasn't parched from thirst and the muscles in her body was rested.

A twig snapped behind her causing the blond girl to still. She glanced over her shoulder to see if there was someone behind her. At first appearance, the darkness revealed nothing. As she strained her eyes, she saw a long silhouette move in between the trees. Her breath caught in her throat as she immediately stood on trembling legs. With willpower, one foot moved in front of the other, ignoring the jagged stones from under her, as she raced across the stream to get away from the shadow that was following her.

She didn't know how long she kept running from the predator, but from a brief glimpse of the shadow, she knew that it wasn't a beast chasing her. It looked like a tall figure of a man and she wouldn't doubt there were men in such creepy forests as the one she was running in. And, she being a female, alone in a forest at night meant unfortunate news.

All of a sudden, her ankle bumped into something sharp, which made her gasp in pain. She fell, not having time to soften the impact using her hands. Instead her face met with the rushing water of the stream. Another intake of what should have been air, had her choking and gurgling the water in her trachea. She lifted her head while she coughed out the bitter liquid. Her lungs greedily inhaled the clean air. Her busty chest was heaving from her panic. When her heart rate slowed down, she sat on her knees, not caring if her jeans or the blue shirt she was wearing was soaked and clinging to her like a second skin. She slowly looked around her to see if the silhouette tracked her to where she was.

The wind blew a gust of chilly air against her wet frame. She shivered and began rubbing her arms with clammy hands while her teeth chattered. The leaves swayed, entrancing her with a sweet lullaby. For a moment, Lucy wanted to laugh at a childish antic of imagining shadows following her. Then the wind stopped blowing. Lucy sat up straighter, her spine as stiff as a rod as she strained to hear what was going around her. If she couldn't trust her eyes, she could rely on her other senses. Then she noticed the eerie silence in the chilly forest. She frowned while she carefully rose to her feet, turning in a three hundred and sixty degree circle. There weren't the normal sounds of birds or bugs communicating. Instead, she could only hear the rush of the stream and splashes of water as she backed herself deeper into it. She never noticed when the stream reached around her hips. Something moved within the shadows of foliage. The crunch noise of twigs alerted her that someone was close and she tried her best to run to only realize it was too late. The rushing water slowed down her steps and she found herself fighting against the currents to flee from the accosting figure.

With no choice left, Lucy backed herself into the water and what used to be a stream carried her in the direction she was running from. As long as she didn't bump into whoever chased her, she was fine.

But she didn't count how strong the currents were as they pulled her deeper into the river. She struggled to keep her head above the surface, spitting out the excess water threatening to cover the airway through her nose and mouth. Her arms waved as she uselessly kicked with her feet. In an instance, old memories of swimming class returned to her. If she hit a point where her body began to tire in the water, the best option left would be to float on her back. But the fear of violent waves pushing her under left her struggling to keep her head above the surface of the turbulent waters.

'I wish Aquarius was here to save me now!' Lucy thought. Since she sacrificed her strongest and one of the closest spirits to her mother, a broken golden key was all that was left of Aquarius' existence. The other celestial spirits could not manipulate water and in her final moments, she couldn't think of a strategy using one of her other spirits to save her. She was helpless.

As the violent water pushed her under the surface, the air she was able to inhale burst out of her. She uselessly moved her hands and legs as she tried to reach the surface of the rushing river but she was constantly being pulled deeper into its depths. Her body ached all over. Her eyes were closing to welcome the darkness. She stopped moving, letting the river take her. It was easier to stop fighting for her life. The pain was disappearing with the darkness.

The moment she was losing consciousness, something hard wrapped around her limp hand and with a sudden surge, pulled her body upwards. The cool air hit her face as she began coughing out the water invading her lungs. A muscular arm wrapped tightly around her waist, molding her against a hard body and the next thing she knew, she was being pulled out of the water to lay on the soft ground. Automatically, her fingers splayed against the dirt, curling and creating a fist with it.

She blinked her eyes as she focused on trying to breathe normally. She felt rough hands inspect her body lightly, making sure she wasn't injured anywhere. Those hands wrapped around her ankle, lifting it to examine a red bruise and Lucy gasped in pain. She struggled to sit upright, supporting her upper body on her elbows. Peering through long messy blond hair, she saw a handsome face with sharp features in the dim lighting from the stars. His eyes narrowed on her foot, dirt clinging to her wet skin. When he glanced up at her, an emotion flashed through his eyes, causing his lips to twist in a snarl. It was the same snarl she heard earlier from the silhouette that was chasing her.

She scooted back, sharply wincing as she put too much weight on her left ankle. Her facial features contorted in pain and she paused in her action when she felt the stranger tightened his hold on her ankle. He reminded her that he captured her but Lucy would be damned if she didn't put a fight to get away from him.

Without hesitation, Lucy threw handfuls of soil at her capturer, aiming for his eyes. A sudden growl of fury told her she hit her goal. His grasp on her ankle loosened when he covered his face with his hands. Growls were breaking the silence in the atmosphere. Instantly, Lucy got up on her feet and began to madly dash away from the man. She moved away from the river, placing her hands on the tree trunks while she rushed limp to get away from the menacing person.

When his growls were no longer discernable, she changed direction in hopes to mislead him. A dark pulse suddenly filled the night sky, slowing down her pace. The magical pressure caused her knees to buckle until she fell face down to the earth. Footsteps sprinted after her and from natural instinct, Lucy reached into her key pouch, felt for the one familiar key and called upon her most trusted celestial spirit to help her. "Open gate of the lion!"

There was a golden flash followed by ding dong and Loke was beside her, assessing the situation. His hazel eyes narrowed behind his shades when he saw Lucy on the ground. "Lucy!" he knelt down. "Are you okay?"

Lucy violently shook her head. Loke was about to put his hands on her cheeks when the branches thrashed not far from them. Lucy pointed a shaky finger toward the direction the noise. "Someone's after me!" Her voice was cracked and frightened.

A dark figure was running toward them at top speed and Loke planted his feet on the ground to defend his mistress from the attacker.

"Lucy!" his voice broke through her panicked mind. "Run!" The person's dark fist shot into the air. Loke raised his right fist and yelled "Regulus punch!" His fist made contact with the other fist causing a burst of power to erupt from their forms. Lucy turned her body so that she was in fetal position. She clasped both hands behind her head and curled in on herself as a gust of strong wind blew against her form. Her blond hair was flying in every direction. When the wind died down, Lucy raised her head, wondering why the wind didn't send her in crashing into a tree. Her question was answered by feeling Loke's solid form hunched over her. His black suit was the only thing filling her vision.

"You have to get out of here! I don't know how long I could hold him back!" Hands clutched the back of his suit, picking him off the ground until he was dangling in the air. Lucy's fearful eyes saw his eyes widened through his cracked spectacles. Then she saw his body was flaying as he crashed into several trees. One of his hands went limp, his eyes closed and he fell against broken branches.

"Loke!" Lucy cried out. She stretched out a hand toward him but another hard hand grabbed her.

'Oh Mavis! This is the end!' Lucy thought. She shut her eyes as the stranger raised her whole body. He kept her upright by her arm so her whole body was dangling in the air. Tears sprang from her eyes and she trembled in fear. She heard one footstep moved in her direction, a hot breath was against her face. A dark aura emanated from him, closing in on her magic. The air became stifled as though he was choking her with his other free hand.

In the haziness of her mind, she felt how her body throbbed in pain. Then, she remembered how Capricorn trained her the past week to summon her celestial spirits. 'Open gate of the maiden!' she mentally shouted. The earth beneath her began to shake. The hand that held her instantly let her go. She dropped to the floor as the soil crumbled and was dug away. Lucy screamed as tense fingers clutched around her arms and pulled her into a hole. Pink hair obscured her vision. She kept screaming until she fell deep into the hole. Virgo popped before her, blue eyes blinking at her. "Punishment, princess?"

Lucy shook her head, not trusting her voice. She pointed a trembling finger to the sky. Virgo looked upward and her eyes narrowed.

"Forgive me princess. This opponent is too strong for punishment. I have to get you out of here." She wrapped her slender arms around Lucy's waist and hoisted her until she was practically hovering in the air. Lucy forgot how strong Virgo was since the maid changed her appearance from a fat lady into a petite one. "Close your eyes," her loyal spirit instructed her. Lucy shut her eyes. The maid hugged the blond girl and began spinning underground, creating a drill to push inward into the earth. She could feel dirt filling her nostrils, mouth and ears. The earth was crushing them. They stopped and Virgo shifted. She jumped and twirled until Lucy felt herself flying through the air. "Princess, summon Aries."

In her mind, Lucy chanted the words to summon Aries and there was a poof of dust coming from the ground. Lucy felt Virgo and her were falling from the sky, and she screamed with all her might. Thinking she was going to die, she wished that Natsu and the others were here to save her. Natsu would have figured out a strategy to face the mysterious opponent. Arms let her go and she screamed Virgo's name to only land on something soft. A whoosh of breath escaped her parted lips.

"I'm sorry," said a timid voice. Then her lamb spirit vanished without a trace. The dark aura was moving in on her. She felt it beneath all the wool Aries created last minute to soften Lucy's fall. Then, there was a blur and a dark figure was shooting through the sky. Lucy anxiously watched as he came crashing down on his feet, creating a crater.

'There's no heck of a way I can fight this guy!' Lucy thought. 'But he might have a chance.' She chanted the words under her breath, realizing that she didn't need to physically touch her key; another flash of golden light blinded them. There was a ding-dong and Lucy's bull spirit appeared with a massive axe in one hand. "Moo! How can I protect your delicious body? Moo!"

Lucy didn't bother to respond. Again, she pointed a shaky finger toward the man, who seemed to take a step back and watch the scene with interest. Taurus saw the unsteadiness of his mistress' body and he turned to stare at the man who caused her fear. He straightened into his massive height and he tightly clutched his large axe in both hands. His face turned fierce when he saw the man's lips tilted into a smirk. For the first time Lucy heard him speak and his deep baritone caused shudders to spiral throughout her body. "So I finally get to meet a different spirit."

Her body shook so hard that she fell to her knees. Taurus' eyes widened and he stepped in front of his mistress to shield her from the onslaught of the male in front of them. "Mooove from here!" the bull spirit warned her. He raised his axe and dashed at the male. The male's smirk turned into a leery smile. With a grace of cat, he jumped into the air to evade Taurus's swipe.

Lucy could barely get up from the floor. Her ankle throbbed with pain and she felt tired. "Open gate of the maiden," she whispered. There was a sudden pop of light and another doorbell sound, letting Lucy know her maid spirit was at her side. "We need to escape from here. Create a tunnel."

Her maid spirit saw the exhaustion on the celestial mage's face. She glanced up to see Taurus was holding the enemy at bay, but there was something strange about how he was moving. He could have easily taken Taurus out and reached their mistress but he didn't. Frowning, the maid spirit picked up Lucy and began twirling in the air. One second they were above surface and then next, they were traveling underground. Lucy knew she could only stay underground for less than forty-five seconds with her maid spirit before losing sufficient air she needed to breathe. When she thought she was going to suffocate, Virgo leapt from underground to the earth's surface. Lucy inhaled a deep breath and let it go the moment Virgo landed safely on the floor. "Princess, are you okay?"

Lucy shook her head. "I need to summon Gemi and Mini," she whispered. But her magic was draining. All the dread and the pain from the chase was finally catching up with her body. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep.

"Summon them with your mind, princess," Virgo instructed, sensing Lucy's weariness.

The blond nodded and summoned Gemi and Mini with her mind. Both spirits popped right in front of Lucy and they floated in front of her with concern marring their faces. "Please turn into me and wear the same clothes as me," she told them. There was a cloud of smoke and both little pink spirits turned into a disheveled Lucy. "I'm going to transfer some of my power to you."

"No! Don't!" The spirits protested.

She smiled tiredly at them. "I know what I'm doing. I just need you to trust me."

"But you don't have enough magical energy to sustain yourself. You can fall into a coma or worst, die," Virgo admonished.

"I understand," Lucy whispered. "But I need to divert his attention. He's never seen Gemi and Mini."

Virgo's eyes widened with realization. The mysterious male that was attacking them was the one Loke and Lucy sensed watching them. That meant he knew about her mistress' spirits. That explained why he didn't defeat Taurus when he was clearly more powerful than the other spirit. He was toying with her mistress. Virgo nodded her head.

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She cradled the lower part of her stomach with her hands. Gathering all her magical energy, she felt the sudden shift in the air. A white aura framed her body. Her hair, clothes and dirt around her began to slowly lift in the air. Then her magic pulsed outward, sending a magical wave around her. Debris flew everywhere. Her spirits gasped in shock at her magic. Within little time, she reached her meditation state. Her hands stretch toward the spirit that looked like her. The other her touched her hands and the energy went from her to her spirit. Suddenly Lucy collapsed into Virgo's awaiting arms. Loke chose that moment to appear and he lifted Lucy in his arms.

"You're going to try it, aren't you?" Virgo asked him with a serious tone.

"I have no choice."

"But if you travel through the celestial world, there's a good chance she won't be able to come out of it." Loke glanced down at the blond girl in his arms. There was another magical shift and both spirits looked into the sky. They felt Taurus' aura disappear.

"You were able to do it with Natsu, that idiot," he replied. The dark man was sprinting toward them.

"Go!" Gemi and Mini said to Loke. Loke nodded his head. Before disappearing, he saw the fake Lucy run the opposite direction. Virgo stood proud and tall as she waited to fight the mysterious male. They were prolonging his escape with their mistress. He disappeared to only reappear a further distance away.

Lucy barely opened her eyes while traveling in Loke's arms. However, she heard the most terrible sound of her life. It started in low vibration, but it was one so deep in power that it shook her bones. The vibration swept through the ground causing everything around them to shake. The roar felt like a hundred tornadoes hitting at once. Loke fell to his knees, holding her tightly against his body. His head buried into the crook of her neck. She raised her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders.

Then the roar died away and the cloudless night sky looked peaceful. She felt Loke stand on unsteady legs. He replaced his hand under her knees while the other one was around her back. Lucy tilted her head to move her blond locks away from her sweat-damped face. That roar sounded familiar to her. It reminded her of the one on Tenrou Island, right before the black dragon wiped the island off the face of the world map.

Immediately, her body stiffened in Loke's arms. He looked down at her, his face sweating, his eyes alert. "Lucy?"

She had inkling idea who she was opposing from that unholy sound. All color drained from her face. If she were to race for her life, that roar was the warning bell.

* * *

Outside of Crocus, two figures dressed in dark robes were wandering down a worn out path. The night was humid and felt stifling against their forms, causing the smaller one of the figures to sigh. Pale hands removed the large hood revealing a heart shaped face with green hair. White eyes scanned the terrain.

Tall trees surrounded the area when a sudden crash toppled some of them and made the green haired girl turned toward the direction. The larger person next to her moved in the path of the commotion. "Taro, where do you think you're going?" she asked while shaking her head.

The other figure named Taro began cracking his knuckles. He increased his pace as he heard the smashing of bodies in the distance. The young girl was left to follow him.

"I'm curious to see some action, Lena. Maybe I can challenge the fire user in a battle," the man's voice rumbled with excitement. Lena frowned, wondering how Taro knew one of the wizards was using fire magic since his magic relied on controlling shadows to his will. Lena was the one capable of reading people's magical auras and from the battle taking place not far from them, she could discern their magic types. One of them was a fire user, another one was a requip mage and the other one was an ice wizard. Their magical auras were very powerful, which attracted Taro's attention. And he was always looking for a good fight with worthy opponents. But if he mentioned a wizard was using fire magic, he found a foe whom he wanted to test in battle.

Lena jogged behind the man and pulled at the end of his cloak to halt his steps. The moment he couldn't move another step, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Dark eyes from under the shadow of the hood stared down at her with annoyance. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I should be asking you the same question," she retorted, returning his stare with a glare. "You do realize Master sent us to look for the Magical Source?"

"I do," the man growled. "But that can't stop us from having fun."

Lena sighed. "You can't be wasting your magic over a stupid fight. We only have a limited supply of it."

"I know." Taro raised large hands and pulled back the large hood concealing his face. A handsome face with narrow masculine features was revealed. He lifted his head into the air and closed his eyes. Lena eyes widened when she felt him gathering his magical energy around him. His shadow distorted as shadows from the trees extended to his one, creating one large shadow. Lena stepped back as she watched in awe how he could control manipulate the darkness around him. Then, he cracked open both eyes. His magic faded away and he shook his head. His lips scornfully twisted into disgust. "Well, there goes my fun."

Lena moved past him. She continued to walk along the path when she noticed three figures standing over a huge bear. Only the bear's form was limp and two males were arguing over who defeated the monster while there was a tick forming on the woman's forehead. Her angry face was turning into the color of her hair. Taro had reached Lena's side, his face returning into an impassive one as he suddenly lost interest to fight one of the mages.

Drifting her eyes toward the three people, Lena took hint of the auras, since her magical power allowed her to see a person's magical aura. People's magic were usually different shades of colors, which identified their magical abilities as rare or common. But her magic went beyond only seeing colors. With a touch, she could amplify or drain a person's magic and commit their personal aura to memory.

The three strangers stopped their bickering over the bear's fate as they noticed they weren't alone. The scarlet haired woman looked at them before approaching them with a smile. Lena smiled, realizing they were friendly people but Taro grumbled something before turning his back on them. Instantly, the red haired female stopped and scrunched her face.

"Sorry about that," Lena apologized with a small smile. "He's a really grouchy person when he doesn't get a chance to fight."

The woman returned her small smile, already forgiving her partner's rudeness. "I know what you mean. Natsu, over there," the red head pointed at her pink haired friend, "is always poking at someone for a fight."

"Aw, come on Erza. I was all fired up," the pink haired male responded while bumping his fist into his other hand.

"And you lamely brought him down flame brain!" the raven haired male exclaimed next to him.

"What? You want to say that again ice princess?" Both guys growled at each other but a death glare from the red head silenced them. Apparently, they were scared of her temper. And they had every right to be because Lena could see how her green aura was darkening to almost a reddish hue. Her eyebrows creased from such a sight, realizing the woman wasn't an ordinary mage. Her rank of magic was near S-class if she were in a magical guild.

Next to her, Taro's head raised in interest. He peered over his shoulder to briefly glance at the red headed woman. Lena raised her brows as a beam replaced her small smile. Things were looking interesting. Eyeing their clothing, she saw the scarlet woman wore knight armor, the raven head was dressed in a dark shirt and black jeans and the last guy wore an oddly set of clothing. He wore pants with wooden sandals. His shirt had one long sleeve, while the other side was sleeveless and was baring his muscles. Instantly, she noticed the red tattoo on his upper arm and her eyes widened with surprise.

"You're from Fairy Tail?" she questioned. Since she hadn't been around people beside Taro, Zora and the others in her small group, she didn't know much about what happened in the villages, towns, or cities. She only knew about Fairy Tail because her master talked about the guild having a strong first Master by the name of Mavis.

"Yes, we are," the pink haired male responded. "Why do you ask?"

Taro half turned his body so he could see all three members of Fairy Tail. "Because Fairy Tail is known to have some of the strongest wizards," Lena said.

"You're right about that," the raven haired male said.

"Hey! She wasn't talking about you!" The pink head was about to start another fight with the raven head but an impressive growl from the scarlet woman shut them up. Lena was beginning to feel respect for her.

Lena glanced down at the bear's unconscious body. "Nice of you of guys to take that creature out. It's not an easy feat."

The red head nodded. "Yes, but that's not our true objective here."

"What do you mean?" Lena asked, feeling curious for some reason.

"Actually we're searching for our friend. She left Fairy Tail one day and we're concerned about her," the woman answered her. "Unfortunately, this bear crossed our paths."

"Oh, I see." Lena put a hand under her chin as she looked deep in thought. "Does your friend have a name?"

"Lucy." But no more words were expressed. All of a sudden a magical aura as bright as the sun overwhelmed Lena that she found herself hunched over, clutching small fists against her chest. Instantly, Taro was at her side, one of his large arms wrapped around her waist as he supported her smaller frame against him. The magical aura quickly dissipated to be followed by an inhuman growl so strong that it swept through the trees and occupants in the forest. The ground shook from beneath them.

And Lena whispered two words. "It's her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really difficult for me to write but I am happy to say that Lucy finally meets Acnologia. What's going to happen in the next chapter? What do you think?


	5. Chapter 5

Shaken to the core, Lucy held on tightly as Loke moved with impossible speed through the forest.  He weaved his way through trees, dodged branches, and jumped over fallen tree trunks all while he remained in the shadows of the trees.  She glanced up and took note that he lost his glasses during his quick escape from whoever was after them.

She squeaked when she felt the sudden shift of Loke flying through the air before landing on his feet.  Her blond locks flew in her face and realizing that she couldn't move the pale tresses away she had to settle with resting her cheek against his chest.

Time flew by and Lucy didn't know how much longer Loke traveled but by the time the sun hit the horizon and light broke through the scatter of trees, Loke stopped moving.  Carefully, he set her down under a tree so that her back leaned against a trunk and her legs sprawled out before her.  He stepped away to hunch over while gasping for air.

Wearily, she lifted droopy eyes, struggling internally to keep awake.  By the touch of her magic, she noticed that he was running low and soon he would have to return into the spiritual world.

"W-what the h-ell was that?" he asked through his pants.

"I kind of know," she barely whispered.  "But I don't."

"What kind of answer is that?"

She could barely move her shoulders as a shrugging gesture.  Loke, who realized this, didn't question her any further.

"You should get some rest," he suggested.  "We won't have to worry about him finding us for a little while unless he can fly."

Goose bumps rose on her skin from the thought of the stranger being able to fly.  From a quick glance at him and feeling his extraordinary power, she wouldn't doubt he had such an ability.  In fact he appeared inhuman.  Something about him wasn't right like the power he radiated that it made the earth tremble or his roar being so loud that it reverberated through the forest.  Tiredly she rubbed at her arms to get rid of the goose bumps.

"Go to sleep," he ordered.  He bent down until Lucy could see his hazel eyes staring at her.  "Virgo will take my place so there's nothing for you to worry about."

"But..." she wanted to say the mystery male would find them and to share her suspicions about him.

"Sleep."

"I do.... Too... much."  Loke's lips twirled upright in the corner and he shook his head. 

"Sleep."

She tried to huff at him but it came out as a small sigh.  Her eyelids closed and darkness blanketed her.

* * *

Natsu was baffled at what he heard.  The alarming roar had him on his knees as did the rest of his group.  Only the roar wasn't a normal one.  Natsu grew up with a fire dragon as a father and was trained in ways to combat and to communicate with a dragon.  This roar sounded like it came from a dragon.  The moment the tremendous sound disappeared; Natsu was on his feet, his head raised into the air.  His nostrils flared as he shut his eyes, forgetting Gray's nasty comment about the inhuman sound or Erza's rebuke.

He realized his nose couldn't detect the strange presence so he called on his other four senses to help locate the immense power source.

"Lena!" a male's voice interrupted his concentration and Natsu lowered his head to look at the two figures dressed in black cloaks.

'Strange,' he thought.  His eyes narrowed for a mere second.  'Why would they dress in baffling clothing when it's not cold outside.'  The last he saw someone dressed in a black cloak didn't bring fortunate news.  'Lucy!'

His eyes grew larger at suddenly remembering her. He, Erza, Gray were looking for Lucy.  He had sent Happy back into Crocus to retrieve some valuable information they heard about a potential stellar mage sighting on one of the trains.  Somehow they were getting closer to finding her.

"It's her," Natsu heard the other voice whisper. 

'Who's her?' he thought while shaking his head, clearly not understanding who were the other two.

"Is your friend alright?" Erza asked as she moved to help the small girl with green hair.  She looked no older than fourteen years old.

The male growled at her and Natsu felt his chest rumbling as he realized with shock that he was growling back.

The scarlet haired woman raised her hands in a peaceful gesture.  "I didn't mean to offend you."  She turned to look at him. "Natsu, you can stop with your nonsense."

Due to his fear of the woman's wrath, he instantly stilled.  He heard Gray's snicker and Erza sent a glare in his direction.  He froze as well.

And Natsu couldn't stop the smug grin that overtook his expression.

During their friendly exchanges, he couldn't help but overhear the conversation going on between the two other two figures.  It was highly unlikely they knew that dragon slayers had exceptional hearing because they possessed draconic senses.

"Are you sure?" the man asked the young female.

"Yes, it's her.  Her power is astonishing," she answered.

"You're exaggerating.  I didn't feel much of anything."

"That's because you can't read magical auras."

He grunted at her response.

"But her magic was in response to the other one after it."

"Now that's a foe I want to fight," the man growled.

Natsu thought the stranger was weird because even Natsu didn't want to fight whoever made that horrible noise.  And that was unlike him.  Usually, he welcomed fights from anyone.  But his draconic senses were alerting him that he wouldn't stand a chance against the other stranger.  As much as it wounded his pride not to fight, he did better avoiding a fight with the stranger.

He heard some shuffles and he turned his head to look at them.  He saw the young girl was on her feet, smiling and bowing before them.

"I'm sorry, but we have to leave," she said.  The other male beside her shrugged his hand behind his head and turned away from them.

"That's okay," Erza replied.

"I hope you find who you're looking for."

"We hope so too," Natsu said, drawing the girl's attention on him.  Again, there was something strange about the pair.  His instinct was telling him to keep an eye on them.  Only they had their backs to him.  They were walking away.

"I have this bad feeling," Natsu said all of a sudden.

The red head appeared next to him, her eyebrows drew together in concern.  He put a hand under his chin at the troubling thoughts invading his mind.

"What kind of bad feeling?" she asked.

"One of regret," Natsu said after some thinking.

Gray laughed.  "Are you actually hearing yourself man?  Since when did you develop thinking abilities?"

"Since we met them." He pointed to the figures that vanished into thin air.  He ignored the exchange of words between his guild members and lifted his head into the air.  His eyes shut tightly as he let his draconic senses immerse with his surroundings.  He scrunched his face as his instincts proved correct.  "Yep, I can't feel them anymore."

"That can't be right," Gray said.  His goofiness faded as he too tilted his back and let loose some of his magical aura.  His face turned into a frown.  "I hate to admit it but you're right."

"Even I can't sense their magical auras," Erza agreed.  The three of them faced each other.  They didn't like what just took place.

Natsu crossed his arms over his muscled chest.  Another thought popped into his mind as he recalled the words he heard between the strange pair.  "I say let's head toward the sound."  He knew they would be heading toward great danger but if Lucy was in trouble, which she tended to attract a lot of, that sound was the cue for them to start looking in that direction.

* * *

Humans were naturally stupid creatures.  They lived with constant fear and killed whatever was different from them.  That explained why their species was dying out.  Since the war between dragons and humans four centuries ago, humans started turning on each other and the war turned amongst themselves.  Over time the Magic Council, created by mages, build magical guilds so that they could govern the mages left to fight for a better cause.  In a way, the war ceased.  But little by little, the humans were slowly killing each other because they were greedy.  They desired what they couldn't have and did whatever was necessary to gain it.  This blond girl was no different from the humans he observed for so many centuries.  She was stupid as well as greedy.... Or so he wanted to believe.

To his outright shock, as soon as he pinned the blond girl to the soiled ground, his fingers curling unmercifully into her arms, he heard her gasp and felt the sudden drop in her magic.  Then the soft body beneath his hard one flickered with golden light and then the blond girl vanished from sight.  Only the magical trace of fresh sunshine and earth remained.

"Where is she?" he growled as he slowly rose to his feet and he turned to the other figure staring at him with a stoic face.  If he weren't so interested in the whereabouts of a slip of a girl, he would have wondered why this maid had chains dangling from her wrists.

"What is your interest in our mistress?" she returned with her own question.

He didn't like being questioned by an insect.  "I won't repeat myself wench."

The maid smiled infuriatingly at him and he wanted nothing more than to punch the smile off her face.  "Why are you after our princess?" she asked again.  "She did nothing to insult you."

"She was on my land, in my territory," he growled as he invaded her space.  He bared his sharp teeth at her.  His fists clenched tightly against his thighs.

"So that's your reason for wanting to hurt our princess?"

"I told you I don't repeat myself."

"Then I'll make you a deal.  We leave your territory and you leave our princess alone."

It was irritating how she kept mentioning "our" when she was the only one standing before him.

"No.  She saw me and she will die."

The maid shook her head.  "You certainly don't know what you're dealing with."

Damn it!  He hated curiosity and this spirit caught his attention.  If it weren't for his stupid curiosity, the blond mage would have died long ago.

"What am I dealing with?"

The maid's smiled deepened.  Her eyes shimmered before she responded.  "Our princess is favored by the Celestial King.  If you harm her than you answer to him.  Furthermore, she is a Magical Source and her magic is responding to your dark magic."

He cocked his side to the side.  His jaw clenched at the first statement.  So the blond was favored by the Celestial King?  That was highly impossible unless there was something special about her.  After observing her for several days, he could see what would attract such a powerful being's attention.  The girl didn't know the meaning of taking for herself.  She kept giving all of herself to others that she neglected her well-being.  It explained why her spirits took the responsibility of watching over her.

The next statement he already acknowledged.  During his long life span he already encountered Magical Sources, only all of them never lived as long as she did.  By the time they hit their teenage years they were already dead.  Which explained how she survived for so long.  Her magic must have awoken when she sensed his presence.  His magic was darkness while her magic radiated pure light.  As the one magic laws were written, one law stated "magic balanced itself."  Her magic countered his one.

"I will find her and when I do, you better hope you can protect her," he warned her with a dark tone.  His dark magic gathered around his frame.

The smile vanished from her face and she stepped back.  "You hurt her and you'll feel the celestial spirits' wrath."

A smirk tugged on the corner of his lips as he welcomed the challenge.  He could feel the maid's magic being drained.  Her form flickered in and out before she vanished in a poof of bright light.  The same scent lingered in the air and it pulled  at all of his deepest instincts.

He stood immobile as his eyes closed and he concentrated on the scent.  There was something tantalizing about it.  He could get addicted if he wasn't careful.  He strained harder to see if he could locate such a similar scent in the forest.  He could make out a deep green forest, an underbrush, a figure nestled against a crook of a tree.

The scent vanished.  A low growl of frustration rumbled through his chest.  He opened his eyes and he willed himself not to turn into his dragon form and tear the forest asunder until he found her.

The celestial mage undoubtedly outsmarted him.  Somehow she created a duplication of herself carrying the same immense power she originally had and led him away from her real self.  Certainly, she wasn't stupid like the other humans, not if she could trick him.

He tilted his back and a roar as powerful and as old as time reverberated from his being.  The whole place shook from beneath his feet.  He sent out his warning in two different ways.

Then one corner of his mouth twitched.  He gave himself a deep shock when he burst into an explosive guffaw.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be the long awaited chapter. Lucy and Acnologia are going to meet. Thank you for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

Her eyes shot open by the rude awakening of pain that Lucy tried to shift her body without alerting any of her spirits in the celestial world that she was awake. They needed all the rest they could get before trouble found her once again. Her whole body ached from the used up adrenaline from earlier magic and flight but the slightest movement in her left leg caused her to moan in pain and for her body to flinch. She recalled how she hurt her foot in the river when she tried to get from whoever was following her.

'Why now?' she wondered. 'Why did he suddenly decide to pop out of nowhere?'

Goose bumps rose on her skin. She rubbed her arms as she imagined how she must look like; a rumpled mess. Soon Virgo would appear from the celestial world and fret about her appearance.

But she didn't have time to think how she looked like. She must have suddenly woken up for a reason. It was time to get moving or face her worst nightmare, if he was the same creature she encountered on Tenrou Island. Somehow, his roar sounded similar to that time and it had the same intensity to shake the terrain around her.

'It's a good thing he didn't destroy the forest. I must count my lucky stars to still be alive. At least for now.'

But her name "Lucky Lucy" wouldn't last forever. Her luck had a way of turning on her like the time she had to break Aquarius' key so she could summon the Celestial King and save her friends from being sucked in Tartaros.

The male creature had located her using magic. He knew what she looked like. And she wouldn't doubt if he knew her name.

Good thing she was far away from Fairy Tail. Imagine how much damage her friends would have to endure if they had to face him. They went through enough during the Tartaros event. She felt another pang, another loss. Lucy didn't want to add another burden on her friends. How much more problems did they have to endure because of her? Apparently, everything. Which was why Lucy had to break away from Fairy Tail. She only sacrificed one of her spirits, whereas they lost almost everything.

"I have to get stronger for everyone," she vowed to herself. "Therefore, I won't return to Fairy Tail until I defeat that creature, whoever he is."

Then she gave an ironic chuckle at her vow. How was she suppose to defeat such a strong creature when she couldn't comprehend her powers? When she was with him, her magic sky rocketed to the point she thought her whole body was going to explode. It was as if her magic responded to his, like there was some connection between them.

She shook her head at such an absurd thought. There was no connection between them. If there was one, then how come she couldn't stop him from destroying Tenrou Island? Unless he wasn't the same creature...

"I'm over thinking things," she whispered to no one. "And I'm going crazy."

She leaned her head against the bark of a tree that Loki left her and she sighed. She closed her eyes before she mentally counted to three. On number three, she finally attempted to move. Since most of the pain came from her lower left leg, she put all of her weight on right leg. She lifted her body using her arms and shifted her body using her right leg to move along the leafy ground. There were times she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out while she was moving. She had to mentally talk to herself to try to get through the pain.

'I can do this. I'm almost there.'

The only problem was she didn't know where she was going. The forest got deeper and eerier. There was no sound except for the swaying of the branches and the snapping of dead leaves and branches as she dragged herself through the forest floor.

Then there was the inability to walk and her life feeling like it went to hell. She scowled and scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her arms. At least the weather was warm enough that she wasn't a mass of shivering limbs. That was a problem she didn't have to worry about.

She paused and glanced at the sky. The sky seemed to ripple. Was that possible? The clouds' shape changed as the winds suddenly shifted toward her direction. She shaded her eyes. A patch was getting bigger in the sky. It looked out of place. Her stomach clenched as she never seen something so bizarre move through the sky. And it was getting closer to her.

"Oh shit!" she cried. Raw instincts took over as she began half crawling on the ground. Her pain was momentarily forgotten as her body dragged through the dirt and leaves, dirtying her clothes more. "There's no way in hell I'm going to call my spirits to fight that thing."

She was practically gliding through the forest as she pushed her limbs with all the speed she could muster. However, she couldn't move faster than the thing was hurtling toward her.

A shadow overtook her form. She caught a glimpse of something dark, like huge wings before she panicked. She turned her head and shut her eyes. A mountain slammed into her back causing her face and upper body to crash into the dirt. The breath was knocked out of her. Huge hands held down her wrists like shackles as a long thigh crossed over the back of her legs.

She wheezed and struggled to breathe in and out through her bruised rib cage. Her palms and knees were abraded from the crash. She could barely lift her head as she took in dark toned arms leading to calloused hands that held her prisoner.

'This is it!' her mind wailed. 'It's the end for me.'

A male's nose pressed against her neck and hair and she heard him inhale a deep breath. Her body shivered in response. Was he sniffing her? He rubbed his face against her and she fought back the sudden urge to whimper.

"So we finally meet," he growled, his voice a dark rumble against her back.

She coughed the dirt out of her mouth. "We met before."

"At the river?" The weight at her back disappeared. With mind numbing swiftness, she was shifted so that she lying on her back. He pinned her arms and legs as he straddled her.

"Yes," she replied, but something else deep inside her wanted to respond that they met before the river incident. His emanating aura felt familiar as it tried to consume her magical one.

Her eyes got watery before she blinked several amount of times to clear her vision.

"Then why do I have this feeling we met before that?" he asked.

Lucy couldn't answer him. Once her vision cleared and she got a good look at the creature on top of her, she lost all sense to speak. He was breath taking. He radiated like the sun. He had sharp, dark masculine features on a handsome face. His upper body was muscular and tanned and partially covered with a dark cloak. Sharp red claws adorned his neck. He bared dark markings on his arms and at the sides of his face.

His hair was an astonishing light blue color and long as it fell over his shoulders in uneven waves. It blanketed her when he leaned over to examine her. Her fingers twitched lightly at the silky feeling of it.

His green eyes narrowed on her as he took in her dishevel form.

"So are you going to stare at me all day or are you going to kill me?" she finally questioned him. Her eyes widened in disbelief and she felt like she was going to die from mortification. She squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for him to splatter the ground with her blood.

When nothing happened, she kept her eyes closed. 'Maybe this is all a dream and I'm still sleeping.'

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment of silence. Cautiously, she cracked one eye open to see him staring at her with a little curiosity and something else that she couldn't read.

"Do you randomly say or ask the first thing that come to your mind?"

She had to clear her throat before answering him. "Yes and no."

He tilted his head. "Why didn't you call on your spirits?"

His question caught her off guard. She closed her eye while she thought about his question.

"They already fought you once," she answered honestly. Then her lips formed a shaky smile as she opened her eyes. "I rather they not get hurt over me."

"And do you really think you can beat me?"

"Truthfully, I know I don't stand a chance against you."

He got up from on top of her, moving with a liquid grace of a jungle cat. "Then we have a clear understanding about that."

Shakily, she nodded her head before she sat up. Momentarily, she forgot about her injured foot. When she tried to stand up, she let out a pained squeak and she fell back on the soiled ground. "Damn it, I forgot I can't walk."

The male growled at her. Before she could blink her eyes, he hefted her form into the air until she had no other choice than to curve her arms around his neck and hold on for dear life.

His nose was at the crook of her neck. Breathing in and out her scent, he muttered, "Why do I put up with you weak human?"

It was the same question she pondered on herself. He could have killed her the moment he landed on top of her. Yet, he was putting up with her.

Lucy moved her head back until she pressed her cheek against his hard chest. She raised her attention to the jutting of his chin and noticed he had a dimple in the center. She shifted her head until her eyes landed on his mouth and a forbidden thought popped into her mind. What would it be like to feel those lips on hers?

And then she knew she went crazy. He was a dangerous creature with the power to easily snap her in half and she was feeling some attraction over him. 'Well, he is gorgeous for a wild thing he is.'

Again, his magic spiked and hers responded. A gasp left her as his green eyes flashed at her beneath his pale bangs. Instantly, his magic enveloped her, like the sun being clouded on a regular day. His magical aura quieted, matching hers and before Lucy knew it, she was inhaling and exhaling air clearly into her lungs; surprisingly, better than she had in days.

"You have to learn to control your magic better," he growled. She could feel the rumble of his growl through his chest.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. She glanced down at her tattered clothes and became self consciously aware of she must look to him; dirty and unkempt. But she looked the way she did because of him.

"Your magic is a magnet for trouble," he commented. Her eyes darted to his chin and her breath caught in her throat. His eyebrows tucked together as a frown marred his handsome face.

"It's always been that way for me," she muttered as she recalled the Project Eclipse Gate, the Infinity Clock incident and other little events. It seemed like she was always the damsel in distress. She had to rely on Natsu and the others to save her. She was only good for supportive magic, although she had combative celestial spirits. Her mood soured as she once again became the damsel in distress. However, there was no one to save her from the beast. And she refused to risk her celestial spirits' safety against this one.

She didn't know exactly where they were heading until a set of tree cleared to a dark cave. Lucy's eyes widened as panic began to overtake her. Her arms stiffened as her right leg swung back and forth in the creature's arms. He paid no heed to her struggles as he walked into the darkness.

Fear and distress made her magical aura rise once again and a guttural growl escaped the man as his fierce magic arose to swamp it. "Stop that," he commanded. His sharp words left no place for argument.

Lucy would have normally been annoyed at a command from Natsu or Gray, and maybe Erza from time-to-time, but she had seen what this creature was capable of and she didn't want to make him furious.

He ventured deeper into the cave. The darkness blanketed them. Not once did he shift her in his hold or did his arms threaten to release her. Instead he continued to move with grace and confidence of a warrior. Lucy didn't know how much time went by but she noticed there was a point in the cave that got lighter. She could see the outlines of her arms against a muscular chest. Her cheeks reddened as she her gaze drifted upward to the man's jutting chin. The dimple in the middle of it became more noticeable. Then he placed her down on something warm and fluffy before leaving her side. There was a crackling fire surrounded by twigs and chopped wood.

And Lucy's eyes widened more at what she saw in the cave. There were large gem stones, rich fur blankets, exquisite mahogany chairs, colorful paintings of landscape and on a table were piles of old books. Lucy knew riches. She came from a prestige family who owned wealth, yet seeing these various objects in what she assumed was his home spoke of history and wealth. This creature or man was rich.

"Rest until I find something for us to eat."

If her eyes could have widened more, they were going to fall out of their sockets. All she could do was dumbly nod her head. The corner of his lips quirked in amusement. "And don't try to escape. There are a lot of cliffs ." That meant there were a lot of places to die. Nervously, she gulped as she nodded her head again.

She watched as he turned his back to her. His dark cloak bellowed around his lithe frame as he melted into the darkness, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

* * *

What the hell was he thinking? Why didn't he kill her when he had the chance? These were the questions that had been plaguing him when he left the blond mage in his sanctuary. He never let anyone, besides himself to view his horde. His horde was his pride, a reminder that in his long years, there was something to look forward to; a reminder of what he accomplished.

Yet when he came across her pathetic form, he couldn't find in him to kill her. There was no point in killing something so easy. It took out all the fun of playing with his prey. He liked to killed what he thought was worthy and she was far from worthy to kill. Maybe once she healed, he could toy with her before slaying her. A feral smile broke across his ruggedly handsome face as he imagined torturing her.

Besides, she was a rare Magical Source. Filthy humans with her type of magic were like finding a needle in a haystack. In a way, she was a treasure and if anyone knew her value, they would hunt her down. Why not keep her? He could assess her potential and perhaps she could become useful to him.

He scoffed at the idea. What potential could she have when she couldn't control her magic properly? When he carried her weak body through his cave, there was a moment her magic rose and he had to use his magic to direct hers into a calm state. He created something like a sheathe over her magic. But doing what he did had consequences. He was more attuned to her on a magical level. If she tried to escape, and hopefully she wasn't asinine to attempt it, he would locate her easily. As a last resort, he had enough power to immobile her movements. But it depended on her location. His cave had dangerous paths that led to cliffs, waterfalls where the water roughly flowed under rocks, and there were creatures that mages didn't know about that lived deep within the darkness. Either way, she was a sitting duck until she recovered.

He wondered about interrogating her. He figured her reason for being away from other people. He understood the desire to get stronger. Once upon a time, when humans were raging wars against the dragons, his desire led him to become what he was. He, like the pathetic person in his horde, was one of a kind. Aconologia had the power to turn into a dragon and a human. Over time his power made him invincible. He could destroy all the human vermin populating the areas around his land, but it was too much work to deal with them. It was better that he disappeared, making them think they won the war against the dragons. Eventually, they began to believe dragons were a myth.

He made a guttural growl as he recalled coming across four dragon slayers. Dragons weren't suppose to exist, yet three of them were raised by dragons. One even had the audacity to communicate him, only he didn't talk to insects. He recognized the dragons that raised them by the dragon roars the three insects hit him. Metilicana, Grandeeney, and the insufferable Igneel. He hated Igneel, the fire dragon empathized with the pests.

If Acnologia had a chance, he would have loved to capture those little nuisances and play with them before killing them instantly. Sometimes he regretted not playing a little bit more with those insects on Tenrou Island. He shook his head as another growl rumbled from his chest. The Tenrou incident had been nagging him lately, and it was infuriating him. He hit the cave wall with all his might, causing the rocks to fall into dust on the ground. His fist turned into sharp claws. A sudden urge overtook him, a need to kill. The perfect, tantalizing morsel of the blond mage was only twenty feet away from him. He could simply command her, using his dark magic to come to him. He could be there within minutes, splashing her blood among his treasure. Or he could hold her delicate, trembling body in his arms as he sank his fangs into her neck, soaking her delectable essence within himself.

"Damn it! What makes her special?" Besides her defying what he knew about humans and her magical rarity, he couldn't think of anything else.

Furiously, he strode toward the area he left her, forgetting his purpose for leaving her in the first place. He straightened his claws and angled his body for the right moment to strike. Then he felt the air intensified as if something was in the air weighing him down. He snarled at her mundane attempt to fight him, when she admitted that she stood no chance against him. He should have killed her when he had a chance. That problem was easy to remedy.

As he got closer to her, he concealed his magic by gathering around it his lithe form. It clung to his every pore, as a second skin. He turned right around the corner, ready to advance on her, when he heard voices.

"I can't do that," her melodic tone was as clear as day to him. "If I escape now, he won't hesitate to kill you and the others."

The other voice he recognized from the maid in chains answered her. "He can't kill us. We'll be automatically sent into the Celestial World. But he can kill you."

Acnologia heard a sigh. "Then, I have to take my chances."

"Big brother won't like this," the maid spirit warned the celestial mage. "He's already angry about you forcing his gate to close and not summoning him when you were in danger."

"I don't know what else to say," the blond girl answered back. He heard her breathe a deep breath before letting it go. "I'm tired."

"You mustn't give up, princess. We can still get you out of here."

"With a twisted ankle? And even if by some miracle I do get away, how long can I last in the forest?"

"Princess, maybe we can have big brother do what he did earlier."

Acnologia frowned. He folded his arms across his muscled chest as he leaned against the wall of the cave. If he took more time to eavesdrop into their conversation, he could learn how she was able to escape under his nose.

"That is out of the question, Virgo. Right now, I rather him stay in the Celestial World than be here. He will only make things worse. Besides, if whoever captured me wanted me dead, he would have killed me already."

"What if he's biding his time?"

"What do you mean?" There was a pregnant pause.

"What aren't you telling me Virgo?" He heard skin scraped against the rocky ground.

"I-I spoke with him before disappearing and I asked him what he wanted from you."

There was a whoosh of breath. "And?"

"He's toying with you, princess. And when he gets bored, he will kill you."

A silence filled the gap and Acnologia thought he should let his presence be known amongst the females.

"I have no choice then." The female with the entrancing voice dropped her tone. "I guess it's final."

"What is?" the other female asked in alarm. For some reason, Acnologia didn't like how dull the celestial mage's voice sounded.

He straightened up from the wall and peered at the side it. He caught a sight of the maid spirit stooping before the celestial mage. They never looked toward his direction, notifying him that they still weren't aware him. He could attack them so easily. The monster inside was urging him to spill blood. His claws bit into the scaly palms, drawing blood.

The blond girl raised her head to stare at maid with a stoic expression. "If he aims to kill me, then don't interfere."

Suddenly, the urge to kill them deflated. Acnologia blinked; completely astounded by the complexity of the celestial mage before him. His claws flexed and retracted.

"What?"

"Promise me you and the others won't try to stop him if he kills me."

"Why? Are you crazy?" the spirit gasped.

The girl blinked. The air hung with silence as he too waited for her answer.

"What's the point?" She glanced down at her swollen ankle. "No one can stop him. Not you, me, Loki, Capricorn, or the others." Then she did an amazing little gesture, and it was in that little gesture that answered Acnologia's question about her specialness. She raised her head and smiled brightly at her spirit. "Right now, I'm lucky to be alive."

* * *

"Are you sure this is place where you last felt her?" a gruff voice asked the smaller female.

They had been traveling the whole day. They left Crocus region and entered a fresh part of the woods that was considered unclaimed by the Fiore kingdom. These parts of the woods were dangerous due to a beast inhabiting the place. There were many jobs that sent mercenaries and mages alike to defeat the monster to only fail. The fact that she and her companion were able to move through the dark forest undetected was suspicious, unless the beast already found who they were looking for.

"Lena?" The masculine voice called to her. "Are you daydreaming again?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "No, I'm concentrating."

"Figures," he grunted.

"Stop complaining. I need to verify that she was here." She lowered herself to the ground to touch the dirt. It looked fresh, the soil had been ruptured. Standing up, she scanned the area around her. There were many fallen trees, scattered branches, dead leaves. She moved toward a section where the earth deepened into a crater. She lifted her head into the air and stuck out her tongue. The residue of stale air touched the surface of her tongue. There was also a hint of magic. She closed her mouth as a small smile formed on her pretty face.

"Master will be pleased."

"So we found her at last?" the man asked with a bored tone.

"Yes."

"Then, let's capture her."

He turned away, removing the large hood from his head with strong hands. "Not so fast, Taro." Lena moved swiftly for her small frame. She clutched Taro's wrists, halting his movements.

The man's eyes narrowed on her. "What is it you're not telling me?"

"Don't you find it strange we have not encountered the beast in this forest?"

"Maybe he's stalking us," Taro replied with an evil grin.

Lena shuddered from the malice shown on his good looking face. "Or maybe he has what we're looking for."

Taro pulled his wrists out of her grasp. He began cracking his knuckles. "Then we fight him for her. She is our Magical Source."

Lena clutched the ends of his cloak and pulled at it with all her might. He gave her annoyed look. "Aren't you forgetting that we need to juice up on magical power? Besides, this beast will kill us for sure."

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at her while crossing his arms across his broad chest.

"This is no ordinary beast we're dealing with," she admonished him.

"Who is it that we have return home empty handed and face Master's wrath?"

Lena tucked a green strand behind her ear as worry became evident in her pale eyes. "Acnologia."

Taro's stance straightened and his facial expression turned grim. "Let's count our losses for now and head into Crocus."

Lena nodded her head. Taro concealed his face with a large hood and together they quickly walked out dangerous woods, leaving the Magical Source to face the beast that dwelled within the forestry depths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the long awaited chapter has come to an end. I hope you liked it. Don't forget to tell me what you think. Thank you for reading. :)


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